Easy Read

Welcome!

Here you can read information in simple language.

What’s it all about?

Philipps University of Marburg is celebrating its birthday.

The university is turning 500 years old.

The university is marking this occasion with an anniversary celebration.

The anniversary will take place in 2027.

The celebrations will begin as early as October 2026.

Students study at the university.

And staff members work there.

Together, there are about 25,000 people.

The university and the city of Marburg have been connected for 500 years.

Who can join the celebration?

Everyone is welcome to join the celebration.

For example:

• Students
• Staff members
• Families
• People from Marburg
• Guests from other places

What happened in the past?

500 years ago, Landgrave Philip of Hesse founded the university.

At first, the university offered four fields of study:

• Religion
• Law
• Medicine
• Philosophy

The university is Protestant.

Today, it is the oldest Protestant university in the world.

Famous alumni of the university

The Brothers Grimm studied in Marburg.

That was more than 200 years ago.

The Brothers Grimm later collected fairy tales.

Emil von Behring was a researcher at the university.

He researched a treatment for diphtheria.

He received an award for this.

It was the first Nobel Prize in Medicine.

That was more than 100 years ago.

Alix Westerkamp earned a doctorate in Marburg.

Her field was law.

She was the first woman in Germany to earn a doctorate in law.

That was more than 100 years ago.

A Dark Time

More than 90 years ago, the Nazis were in power in Germany.

The Nazis wronged many people.

This was also the case at the university.

For example, Professor Hermann Jacobsohn lost his job.

Today, the university commemorates that period.

When and where will the university celebrate?

The anniversary year begins on October 14, 2026.

Many events will take place in 2027.

There will be a great many events.

The events will be held at many locations on campus.

For example:

• at the castle
• at the university library
• at the botanical garden

What can I do?

There are various events:

• Festivals
• Concerts
• Exhibitions
• Lectures
• Hands-on activities
• Activities for children

For example, there’s a class for children.

There, children learn self-defense.

Many events are open to everyone.

Some events are free.

For example, cookie baking at the castle.

There, you’ll bake with others using very old recipes.

For some events, you need to register in advance.

This is noted for each event.

Where can I find all the events?

All events are listed in the event calendar.

There’s a menu at the top of the page.

Click on the word “Events” in the menu.

Then you’ll see the event calendar.

How do I find accessible events?

You can search for events in the event calendar.

Click on the word “Accessibility.”

Then you’ll see a list.

Select an option from the list.

Then you’ll see only the events that match your criteria.

What major events are there?

The Opening Celebration

On October 14, 2026, the university will hold a big celebration.

The celebration runs from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The celebration takes place in front of the castle.

First, a large crowd will walk up to the castle together.

Then everyone will celebrate together with music.

The celebration is for people from the university.

That is, for students.

And for staff members.

The Exhibition at the Castle

There is a museum inside the castle.

It features an exhibition on the history of the university.

The exhibition begins in October 2026.

The exhibition ends on February 28, 2027.

You’ll see historical artifacts from the university there.

For example:

• the founding charter
• old scepers
• old seals
• the certificate for Emil von Behring’s Nobel Prize

Here is the museum:

Museum of Art and Cultural History

in the Landgrave’s Castle

Castle 1

35037 Marburg

What can I see and hear in the city?

Flags for the anniversary

Students have designed flags.

The flags are for the anniversary.

During the anniversary year, the university hangs the flags around the city.

Then you can see the flags around the city.

Music on the buildings

The project is called: Philipps Fanfares.

The university is installing special devices on 19 buildings.

The devices play music.

The music is made up of sounds from the university.

For example:

• footsteps in the hallway
• a coffee machine
• the sound of typing on a keyboard

At each building, you’ll hear a different part of the music.

At the art museum, you’ll hear all the parts together.

The music changes every six months.

Who can I contact?

Do you have any questions about the anniversary?

If so, please send us an email.

Or give us a call.

Philipps University of Marburg

Biegenstraße 10

35037 Marburg

Telephone: +49 6421 28-22500

Email: info@uni-marburg.de

What should I do if I encounter problems with this website?

The university aims to have an accessible website.

However, there are still some barriers on the website.

For example:

• Some images do not have descriptions for blind people.
• Some videos do not have subtitles.
• Some downloadable files are not accessible.

Have you found a barrier?

If so, please let the university know.

At the very bottom of every page, you’ll see: ‘Report a barrier’.

Click on it.

Or send an email to:

 

jubilaeum-barriere-melden@uni-marburg.de

In your email, please include:

• the problem
• the web address of the page where the problem occurs

The university aims to reply within 6 weeks.

Sometimes the university cannot find a suitable solution.

In that case, another organisation can help you.

This organisation is part of the State of Hesse.

It is based in Gießen.

It has a rather long name:

Enforcement and Monitoring Authority for Accessible Information Technology

After 6 weeks, you may contact this organisation directly.

Telephone: +493084414890

Email: kontakt@bfit-bund.de

Website: www.bfit-bund.de

How do I find my way around the website?

There is a menu at the top of every page.

The menu contains the following words:

• Home
• Events
• Projects
• History
• Future
• News

Click on a word.

This will take you to that page.

The other pages are in standard language.

Only this page is in easy-to-read language.

Dictionary

Barrier

A barrier is an obstacle.

For example: A person may find it difficult to read a website.

accessible

Accessible means that everyone can use something easily.

Botanical Garden

This is a garden with a great many different plants.

Doctorate

People are awarded a doctorate after completing a major piece of work at university.

They then have ‘Dr’ before their name.

Fanfare

A fanfare is a musical instrument.

A fanfare produces a loud, bright sound.

Anniversary

An anniversary is a special birthday.

For example: something has been in existence for 500 years.

Landgrave

A landgrave used to be the ruler of a region.

Menu

The menu is a list on a website.

You click on a word there.

Then you are taken to another page.

Nazis

The Nazis were a political party in Germany.

The Nazis persecuted and killed many people.

Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize is a very important award.

Researchers are awarded the prize for particularly outstanding work.

Philosophy

In philosophy, people reflect on important questions about life.

Seal

A seal is a special stamp.

The seal shows that the document is genuine.

Certificate

A certificate is an important document.

For example, a certificate might state that a university is authorised to exist.

Event

People meet at an event.

For example, for a celebration or a lecture.

Sceptre

A sceptre is a special staff.

The staff shows that the person holding it holds an important office.