# University of Berlin

> German University in Berlin (1809-1828); predecessor institute of the Friedrich Wilhelm University

**Wikidata**: [Q20266894](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20266894)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/university-of-berlin

## Summary
The University of Berlin was a state university in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, founded on 16 August 1809 by King Frederick William III of Prussia and active until its dissolution in 1828. It served as a predecessor institute that was succeeded in 1828 by the Frederick William University Berlin.

## Key Facts
- Inception/founding date: 16 August 1809.  
- Founder: Frederick William III of Prussia.  
- Country: Kingdom of Prussia; located in Berlin.  
- Operational/service entry date recorded: 10 October 1810.  
- Dissolved/abolished: 1828.  
- Succeeded by: Frederick William University Berlin (inception 1828).  
- Instance of: university (academic institution for further education).  
- Aliases: Alma Mater Berolinensis; Berlin University; Universidad de Berlin; Berliner Universität.  
- Recorded rectors (1810–1820): Theodor von Schmalz (1810–1811); Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1811–1812); Friedrich Carl von Savigny (1812–1813); Karl Rudolphi (1813–1814); Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand Solger (1814–1815); Friedrich Schleiermacher (1815–1816); Heinrich Friedrich Link (1816–1817); Philip Marheineke (1817–1818); Christian Samuel Weiss (1818–1819); Johann Friedrich Ludwig Goeschen (1819–1820).  
- Key identifiers: GND id 1036337227; VIAF id 304677654; edition_humboldt_digital_id H0000603; factgrid_item_id "Kouji"; kalliope_verbund_(gnd)_id 1036337227.  
- Sitelink_count: 1; wikipedia_languages: eo.

## FAQs
### Q: What was the University of Berlin?
A: The University of Berlin was a German state university founded in 1809 in Berlin (Kingdom of Prussia). It operated until 1828 and was succeeded by the Frederick William University Berlin.

### Q: Who founded the University of Berlin and when did it open?
A: It was founded by King Frederick William III of Prussia, with an inception date of 16 August 1809 and a recorded service entry on 10 October 1810.

### Q: What happened to the University of Berlin in 1828?
A: The University of Berlin was dissolved or abolished in 1828 and was succeeded by the Frederick William University Berlin in that year.

### Q: Who led the university during its early years?
A: The university’s rectors from 1810 to 1820 included Theodor von Schmalz, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Friedrich Carl von Savigny, Karl Rudolphi, Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand Solger, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Heinrich Friedrich Link, Philip Marheineke, Christian Samuel Weiss, and Johann Friedrich Ludwig Goeschen.

## Why It Matters
The University of Berlin represents an early 19th-century state university foundation in Berlin and provides the institutional origin point for a line of continuity in Berlin higher education that led directly to the Frederick William University Berlin after 1828. As a university established by the Prussian monarch Frederick William III and governed by a sequence of appointed rectors, it functioned as a formal academic institution within the Kingdom of Prussia for nearly two decades. The university’s records (inception 1809, service entry 1810, dissolution 1828) document a discrete institutional phase that was then reorganized or succeeded by a new university entity in 1828. That succession links this short-lived institution to later Berlin universities and preserves its relevance for historical study of university foundations, governance, and institutional lineage in Prussia. The listed rectors and institutional identifiers help researchers trace personnel, administrative continuity, and archival records tied to the period.

## Notable For
- Being founded by King Frederick William III of Prussia on 16 August 1809.  
- Operating as a formal university entity in Berlin with service entry recorded on 10 October 1810 and dissolution in 1828.  
- Serving as the predecessor institute succeeded in 1828 by the Frederick William University Berlin.  
- Having a succession of rectors from 1810–1820 that included Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Friedrich Schleiermacher (among others listed in records).  
- Possessing multiple archival identifiers (GND, VIAF, edition_humboldt_digital_id) that support bibliographic and archival research.

## Body

### Overview
- Official name (per records): University of Berlin.  
- Role: Instance of a university (academic institution for further education).  
- Location: Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia.

### Dates and lifecycle
- Inception (founding) date: 16 August 1809.  
- Service entry recorded: 10 October 1810.  
- Dissolved / abolished date: 1828.  
- Succeeded by: Frederick William University Berlin (inception 1828).

### Founding and governance
- Founded by: Frederick William III of Prussia.  
- The university was governed by an annually changing rectorship during the documented decade 1810–1820.  
- Rectors and their tenures (as recorded):  
  - Theodor von Schmalz (start 1810, end 1811)  
  - Johann Gottlieb Fichte (start 1811, end 1812)  
  - Friedrich Carl von Savigny (1812–1813)  
  - Karl Rudolphi (1813–1814)  
  - Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand Solger (1814–1815)  
  - Friedrich Schleiermacher (1815–1816)  
  - Heinrich Friedrich Link (1816–1817)  
  - Philip Marheineke (1817–1818)  
  - Christian Samuel Weiss (1818–1819)  
  - Johann Friedrich Ludwig Goeschen (1819–1820)

### Names and aliases
- Recorded alternate names: Alma Mater Berolinensis; Berlin University; Universidad de Berlin; Berliner Universität.  
- Wikidata description: "German University in Berlin (1809-1828); predecessor institute of the Friedrich Wilhelm University."

### Relationships and succession
- Followed by / succeeded by: Frederick William University Berlin (inception 1828; country: Prussia, German Reich).  
- Part of / parent relationship recorded: Institut für Systematische Zoologie (Zoological Collection at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin; inception 1810; headquarters: Berlin).

### Identifiers and metadata
- GND id: 1036337227 (qualifiers: Universität zu Berlin, start_time 1810, end_time 1828).  
- VIAF id: 304677654.  
- edition_humboldt_digital_id: H0000603.  
- kalliope_verbund_(gnd)_id: 1036337227.  
- factgrid_item_id: "Kouji" (reference recorded).  
- snarc_id: Monument to the prisoners of Stalag 369 at Kraków.  
- Sitelink_count: 1; wikipedia_languages: eo.

### Research and historical use
- The University of Berlin’s recorded dates, rectors, and identifiers are usable for archival queries and tracing institutional succession in Berlin higher education records.  
- Its succession by Frederick William University Berlin is the primary institutional linkage documented for post-1828 developments.

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. FactGrid