History
Its origins date back to the 1555 decision of Duke Wilhelm V von Jülich-Kleve-Berg to create a university for the unified duchies at the Lower Rhine. To this end, it was necessary to obtain a permission of the emperor and the pope. Although the permission of the pope was granted in 1564 and of the emperor in 1566, the university was founded about ninety years later in 1654, after the acquisition of the duchy of Kleve by Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg. It opened on October 14, 1655 by Johannes Claudberg as their first rector. The university had four faculites: Theology, Medicine, Law and Arts. During its period of activity it was one of the central and leading universities of the western provinces of Prussia.
Only a few decades later the university was in competition with the much better equipped Dutch universities. Since only about one third of the population in the western provinces of Prussia were member of the reformed church, most Lutheran and Catholic citizens in the second half of the 18th century, sent their sons to other universities.
The university declined rapidly and was on 18 October 1818 due to a Cabinet Order of Friedrich Wilhelm III. officially lifted. At the same time, the University of Bonn was founded. Large parts of the Duisburg University Library were relocated to Bonn and then formed the basis of the newly formed Bonn Library. Also the sceptre of the University of Duisburg was given to the University of Bonn, and is available until today.
In 1891 the Rheinisch-Westfälische Hüttenschule was settled from Bochum to Duisburg, which was later developed to the Königlich-Preußischen Maschinenbau- und Hüttenschule, and was renamed in 1938 to Public School of Engineering.
After a decision of the federal state government in 1960 the teacher training college of Kettwig was settled to Duisburg and was named Pedagogical University Ruhr. In 1972 the Pedagogical University Ruhr and the Public School of Engineering, which was renamed in 1971 to University of applied sciences Duisburg. Other schools were also relocated to Duisburg. The University of Duisburg was then called Comprehensive University of Duisburg. In 1994 the university was renamed to "Gerhard-Mercator-University".
In 2003 the Gerhard-Mercator-University and the University of Essen merged to the University Duisburg-Essen.
Read more about this topic: University Of Duisburg-Essen
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