Overview

The Humboldt University is the oldest of Berlin's three universities. Originally planned as a palace for King Friedrich II, the king eventually decided give the building to his brother Prince Heinrich and to move into his beloved Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam. Designed by master architect Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, construction took place in 1748-66. In 1809 the palace was handed over to the newly founded Friedrich-Wilhelm-University, which at the time had just 247 students. Today the university boasts over 30,000 students and bares the name of its founder, Wilhelm von Humboldt.