Würzburg and Social Activities

Würzburg is a city of about 125,000 people in the region of Franconia in Northern Bavaria. With a history that dates back more than 1,300 years, Würzburg is offering many famous sights, above all the UNESCO World Heritage Site Würzburg Residence. Founded in 1402, the University of Würzburg is among the oldest universities in Europe. More than 30,000 students make for a vivid city with a rich and vivid cultural, pub and club scene.

Würzburg is offering numerous famous attractions. Without a doubt, Würzburg Residence, built in the early 18th century and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981, is the most prominent attraction of the city.

Other top sights are the Fortress "Marienberg", which sits above the city, and the Old Main Bridge ("Alte Mainbrücke"), which is the best place to enjoy a glass of Franconian wine. Würzburg's market place boasts the St. Mary's Chapel ("Marienkapelle") and the House of Falcon ("Falkenhaus"), while the Pilgrimage Church "Käppele" offers a great view of the old town. Many other churches (most notably the main cathedral), courtyards, fountains, and town houses can be found in the city. Another highlight is the Old University, which was built in 1582 and today houses the University of Würzburg's Law Faculty.

Click here for an overview of Würzburg's main attractions.

The Julius-Maximilians-University (JMU) Würzburg is one of the oldest universities in Europe and rich in tradition. With 14 Nobel Prize Winners, the JMU belongs to the finest research institutions in Germany. See a short list of the well-known alumni and researchers related to the university:

• Alois Alzheimer, German psychiatrist and neuropathologist, identified Alzheimer's disease
• Jean-Marc Ayrault, Prime Minister of France from 2012 to 2014
• Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee since 2013
• Ernst Bloch, German Marxist philosopher
• Harald zur Hausen, German virologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2008
• Werner Heisenberg, German theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics 1932
• Klaus von Klitzing, German physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics 1985
• Oswald Külpe, German structural psychologist, founder of the Würzburg School of Psychology
• Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, German physicist and detector of X-rays, Nobel Prize in Physics 1901
• Rudolf Virchow, German doctor, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist, known as the "father of modern pathology"

The psychology department at the University of Würzburg was founded in 1896 and is one of the oldest academic institutions devoted to the scientific study of human cognition and behavior worldwide. Today, the department is endowed with 12 professorships and numerous post-doctoral and doctoral positions. The department has a strong focus on experimental approaches to psychology and offers a rich and varied research environment.

Click here to get an overview of the history of the psychology department in Würzburg, and here to get an overview of its current structure and areas of research.

Around Würzburg, there are many vineyards and numerous small, ancient villages. Since many of them lie on the Main, they invite you to relax and to walk on the riverside. Veitshöchheim, about 15 kilometers from Würzburg, is home of the Summer Residence of the former prince-bishops of Würzburg. Rothenburg ob der Tauber with its world-famous medieval Old Town and the city of Nuremberg are only a 60-minute ride away.