Text icon 'UFR' standing for University of Freiburg
Mathematical Institute
Seal element of the university of freiburg in the shape of a clover

History of the Institute

This page is based primarily on Gericke 1955 and Remmert 2001.

Compiled and written by: Markus Junker, Mathematical Institute, 2019.

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Plastische Darstellung der Geometrie in der Vorhalle des Freiburger Münsters

The Beginnings: Philosophy

In the early days of universities, studies began at the so-called Faculty of Arts with the “seven liberal arts” ( Artes Liberales ): first the Trivium consisting of the three language-based subjects grammar, logic, and rhetoric, followed by the Quadrivium the four mathematical disciplines of arithmetic, geometry, harmonics, and astronomy. Students would then proceed to one of the “higher faculties”: law, medicine, or theology. From logic (often referred to at the time as “dialectics”), philosophy emerged as an academic discipline, and the Faculty of Arts evolved into the Faculty of Philosophy. Mathematics and the natural sciences were taught there, gradually developing out of arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy. This basic structure remained in place in Baden until 1837. It was not until 1910 that the original Faculty of Philosophy in Freiburg was divided into the Faculty of Philosophy and the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.

Early period: Universalists

Since its founding in 1457, mathematics has been taught at the University of Freiburg. The first lecturer was Magister Johann Kerer, who began teaching mathematics in 1460 when instruction commenced. However, this was still far from a modern mathematics degree: teaching likely focused mainly on advanced arithmetic skills and geometry. In the early period, professors in the Faculty of Philosophy were generalists and frequently changed chairs and universities, and complete records of names are not available. According to Gericke (1955), several mathematics professors from Freiburg’s first three centuries are known, the most notable being Erasmus Oswald Schreckenfuchs (1511–1575).

['Vorlesung um 1500' aus dem Statutenbuch des Collegium Sapientiae]
[Astronomische Uhr von Thaddäus Rinderle]

From 1750: New professorships

From around 1750 onward, largely complete records of mathematics professors are available. At the beginning of the 18th century, there were only five professorships in the Faculty of Philosophy (for history, logic, mathematics, physics, and rhetoric), but additional chairs were established in the second half of the century, including one for applied mathematics. At that time, however, this term referred more to applied physics and engineering. Subjects taught included surveying and military architecture. Mathematics comprised the traditional disciplines of arithmetic and geometry, supplemented by newer developments such as algebra, logarithms, and trigonometry, while differential calculus was not yet taught in Freiburg. Professors still moved between chairs (for example, Steinmeyer between logic and metaphysics, mathematics, and physics), though conditions were becoming more stable. The university also established a collection of mathematical and physical instruments, the “Mathematical-Physical Cabinet,” which was given its own hall in 1759 and, according to Schneider (2006), „already resembled a kind of institute “, while also apparently serving the public as a museum. In 1876, it was divided into separate mathematical and physical collections.

Baden 1837: University Reform

A major educational reform took place in Baden in 1837: elementary instruction was transferred from the Faculty of Philosophy to secondary schools (Gymnasien), and the Abitur became the prerequisite for direct entry into higher faculties without a prior general course of study. This created a demand for subject teachers, leading to the establishment of mathematics as an independent field of study. Initially, however, the reform caused a sharp decline in student numbers: fewer than 20 of the approximately 250 students in Freiburg were enrolled in the Faculty of Philosophy, compared to about a quarter of more than 600 students previously, with up to 100 attending mathematics lectures.
At the same time, Prussian reform ideas and developments in mathematics (inspired by Gauss) began to take effect, and mathematics professors gradually became active researchers. During this transitional period, Carl Buzengeiger (1819–1835) and Ludwig Oettinger (1836–1869) held the mathematics professorship. Oettinger initiated the founding of the Seminar for Mathematics and Natural Sciences, the predecessor of today’s Mathematical Institute.

Sammlung Geometrischer Modelle
[Paul du Bois-Reymond, Schwarzweiß-Fotographie.]

The first professor of mathematics: Paul Du Bois-Reymond

Paul Du Bois-Reymond is generally regarded as the first modern mathematics professor in Freiburg. He taught there from 1870 to 1874 and had studied in Königsberg and Berlin, bringing contemporary mathematics to Freiburg. From that point onward, mathematics studies in Freiburg began to include lectures on differential and integral calculus as well as analytic geometry, followed by more advanced courses. In addition to Du Bois-Reymond, Ludwig Kiepert was appointed associate professor in 1872; a second full professorship in mathematics was established in 1894. In 1923, a regular associate professorship for applied mathematics (in the modern sense) was created, which became a third full professorship in 1954. The number of professorships continued to grow until the 1970s, reaching around 16, and has remained largely stable since then.