History and remembrance

Established on 4 November 1743 by Margrave Friedrich von Brandenburg-Bayreuth and expanded from 1769 by Margrave Alexander von Brandenburg-Ansbach and Brandenburg-Bayreuth, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität was transferred to the state of Bavaria in 1810. It has been housed in the former margraviate residence in Erlangen since 1818.

The Nürnberger Hochschule für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften, a college of business, economics and social sciences, was integrated into FAU in 1961, as was the Pädagogische Hochschule Nürnberg, a teacher training college, in 1972. Today, approximately 38,000 students are enrolled at our FAU campuses in Erlangen, Nuremberg and Fürth.

We promote an academic culture of remembrance reflecting the university’s responsibility for its actions in research, teaching and administration. When considering the history of our University, we take a self-critical stance towards our institutionalized academic culture and live up to society’s requirements for transparency.