Past and Present – Anniversary Exhibition 275 Years FAU
Exhibition at the University Library Erlangen-Nürnberg (UB), Exhibition Room of the Main Library in Erlangen
November 5–25, 2018
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), founded in 1743, was celebrating its 275th anniversary in 2018. The University Library, founded at the same time, was joining the festivities with an exhibition titled “Die Hohenzollern und die FAU – Vergangenheit und Gegenwart” (The Hohenzollerns and the FAU: Past and Present), highlighting the history of the university’s founding and the legacy of the Margraves of Bayreuth and Ansbach.
The material heritage includes manuscripts and incunabula from the monastery libraries of Heilsbronn and St. Jobst; the libraries of Margravines Wilhelmine, Friederike Louise, and Sophie Caroline; and the princely private libraries of the Margraves of Bayreuth and Ansbach.
Additionally, the University Library houses the Margraves of Ansbach’s Graphic Collection, which contains famous hand drawings, woodcuts, and copperplate engravings. The collection also includes objects from the margraves’ cabinets of curiosities, such as ostrich eggs and an intricately carved nautilus shell.
One of the coins tossed into the crowd at the university’s opening, along with the founding documents, allowed visitors to immerse themselves in 18th-century life.
The FAU president’s chain of office, established during the Bavarian era and passed down from one officeholder to the next, symbolizes the university’s continuous development and bright future.
FAU University Press published a catalog for the exhibition, priced at €32. An online version is available on OPEN FAU.
