“What is needed is a free university that serves to seek truth for its own sake.”
From the founding call for a free university, dated July 23, 1948
Freie Universität Berlin was founded in 1948 by professors and students as a reaction to political oppression against students and faculty at the main university in Berlin, which happened to be located in the Soviet sector of the occupied city. The idea of founding a free university received widespread international support and financial backing, ultimately paving the way for Freie Universität to become a university of international standing.
Lived History – University Members Recall the Past
Freie Universität Berlin was founded out of a passionate desire for free academic exchange without external interference. Committed founders shaped the university, which in turn became an essential part of their lives. The oral history project “Lived History,” which has been running since 2019, documents their stories: In video interviews, presidents and professors, former students, laboratory staff, animal keepers, research assistants, and administrative staff share their memories and recount how they actively helped shape Freie Universität.
