The Athena
The natural sciences are located at the north of Freiburg’s city center. The Rectorate is the gateway to the Natural Sciences Campus.
The Athena
The larger than life statue that faces you in the entrance hall of the Rectorate building represents Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. A fitting reception for visitors to the Rectorate as the seat of the board of executive officers and the University administration. The statue is a plaster cast of a Roman marble original, which is located in the Paris Louvre Museum. However, the latter is also a copy of a Greek bronze statue from the 5th century B.C. Copies were often made in art, in order to be able to refer to a more famous model.
Daniela from the maniACTs
Art is also important in the basement of the striking yellow Rectorate building: the lecture hall, which is used by the student theater groups to perform their plays.
Daniela from the maniACTs
Daniela, how can acting help in your studies?
Der Gummibaum
Another important building on the Natural Sciences Campus is the chemistry tower, which is the tallest of the entire University. Its green pride is a rubber tree (ficus elastica) in the staircase.
The Rubber Tree
It is 17 meters high and thus the largest of its kind at the University of Freiburg. There are many myths about its origin. One says it was planted by Professor W. Eberbach more than 20 years ago.
Peter Seidel
Maintaining the University is the task of University employees, who often only work behind the scenes: namely, the facilities services staff.
Peter Seidel
Mr. Seidel, what is the relationship between students and the Facilities Services?
The Round Lecture Hall
The care of the lecture halls is also in the hands of the Facilities Services. A very special one is the round lecture hall.
The Round Lecture Hall
The ceiling from the late 1960s is made of honeycomb structure based on the internal structure of the human bone. The ribs of the construction start from three supporting points. It is more load-bearing and much lighter than a ceiling of solid concrete.
Max from the Mathematics Student Committee
There is a very viable organization for students, the departmental student committees. These are associations of students from their field of study.
Max from the Mathematics Student Committee
Max, why are student committees important for students?
The Island
It is very important, because relaxing is also a part of studying. And where else could you do this better than in a shady spot in nature?
The Island
The Vegetable Pictures
You won’t find any fish in the canal, but you can get them on your plate in the cafeteria on Fridays. When you have picked up your lunch, you might notice the colorful partitions to the dining hall there.
The Vegetable Pictures
The Freiburg photographer Miguel Babo has put together a very individualistic vegetable topography. You can find out what the cafeteria offers to eat from the online menu of Studierendenwerk.
The Rockery
Behind the Geological Institute, right next to the cafeteria, you can find a landscape of stones.
The Rockery
The Mineral Collection
In the colder seasons, geologists would also prefer to work indoors. Their building was completed in 1902 and dates back to the time when the Natural Sciences Campus was founded. You will find a lot of colorful minerals there that make the researcher’s heart beat faster.
The Mineral Collection
The Institute has a collection of minerals including about 1,000 pieces. 600 of them can be found in the exhibition. Geology students can be proud of this collection.
The Common Room
Other scientists are also interested in the properties of matter. The Common Room is located in the physics tower.
The Common Room
Here you can stand a little above material things and exchange thoughts about the last lecture. In the Common Room, you are physically on top.
The Herderbau
At the northern end of the Natural Sciences Campus, the large neo-baroque building of the former Herder publishing house is located, all in red. Today, the environmental and forest sciences and the archaeological collection are located there, among others.
The Herderbau
In 2011, the northern of the two inner courtyards was given a transparent roof, supported by four steel girders branching upwards. The casting of the 2500 year old Greek Kouros can thus not get wet feet (if it had any).
The FöCa
The Forester’s Café is also located here – directly at the main entrance up the stairs to the right.
The FöCa
It serves as a self-managed break location by and for students. The coffee is not only inexpensive – on a donation basis – but freshly prepared by each guest themselves and in exactly the way you want it. As individual as studying should be.