Collegium Maius

The Collegium Maius was the main building of the Old University in Erfurt. It stands on Michaelisstraße, directly opposite St Michael’s Church in the former Latin Quarter. The University of Erfurt traces its origins back to the charter of foundation issued in 1379. The Collegium Maius thus represents the oldest university in Germany, whose most famous student was undoubtedly Martin Luther.

Luther began his studies in 1501

The outstanding academic reputation of the University of Erfurt attracted many students to the city, including Martin Luther. He began his studies here in 1501, at the age of 17. The university brought together all four medieval faculties: philosophy, theology, medicine and law. Initially, like all students at the time, Martin Luther devoted himself to the ‘Seven Liberal Arts’ (grammar, rhetoric, dialectic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music); later, at his father’s request, he also studied law. The Reformer was enrolled in 1501 as ‘Martinus Ludher ex Mansfeldt’. He successfully completed his undergraduate studies in the Seven Liberal Arts in 1505, graduating with a Master of Arts degree. However, a profound personal experience radically changed the young Luther’s life, and on 17 July 1505 he entered the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt, where he began his theological training.

The building was destroyed in 1945. The Collegium Maius has since been fully reconstructed and is now home to the Evangelical Church in Central Germany.