Unearthing University History – Everyday Objects from the Kugelherrenhaus in Marburg

The Department of Prehistory is exhibiting artifacts unearthed during a 2023 excavation around the *Kugelherrenhaus*—a building with deep historical ties to the university—including a remarkable sundial dating back to the university’s founding era. Students have curated this exhibition, which showcases everyday objects spanning from the early modern period to the 20th century.

The *Kugelherrenhaus* stands as an "original" structure of the Philipps University. Built in 1491 as a religious house, it—like other monasteries in Marburg—was secularized during the founding of the university and, until quite recently, housed various university facilities. In 2023, the building and its surrounding grounds became the focus of archaeological investigations by the Department of Prehistory, leading to the discovery of, among other things, a notable folding sundial. The objects recovered from the soil and the nooks and crannies of the *Kugelherrenhaus* offer a glimpse into the daily lives of those associated with the university between the early modern period and the 20th century; they are now being presented to the public for the first time in an exhibition developed in collaboration with students.