The Faculty of Law & Economics: Past and Present
458 Years as Faculty of Law, since 1914 Faculty of Law and Economics
- 1456 – The Faculty of Law was founded
- 1914 – The Faculty of Law and Economics was founded
- 1946-1991 – Closed by the Soviet Occupation Authorities (45 years)
1456 – The Faculty of Law was founded
The University of Greifswald was founded in 1456 by Heinrich Rubenow. The Faculty of Law was part of the University from the outset; Rubenow himself was one of the Faculty’s first professors.
Throughout its 80 years as an independent faculty, followed by a century of the ducal Pomeranian period, 170 years under Swedish rule and 130 years of the Prussian period, the Faculty has withstood the turbulent turns of history which, though they set it back for short periods, did not prevent it developing into an important faculty in Germany and the Baltic Sea Region.
The following renowned academics have been members: Johann Oldendorp, David Mevius, Georg Beseler, Bernhard Windscheid, Ernst Immanuel Bekker, Julius Baron, Philipp Heck, Rudolf Smend, Carl Schmitt, Gerhard Leibholz, Hermann Jahrreiss, Josef Esser und Karl Peters.
1914 – The Faculty of Law and Economics was Founded
In 1914 an economics department was added to the Faculty of Law which was then expanded into the Faculty of Law and Economics.
At the end of the winter semester 1945/46 the Faculty was closed by the Soviet Military Administration.
On 15th June 1990 the Senate of the University of Greifswald restored the Faculty to the original state it had had prior to its abolition in 1946.
The re-establishment of the Faculty was largely thanks to the work carried out by the members of the University of Greifswald and representatives of the Departments of Law and Economics at our partner university in Osnabrück.
A ceremony on 25th February 1991 marked the beginning of lectures in the degree courses in Jurisprudence and Business Administration.
1992 – Re-establishment
The establishment of the Jurisprudence programme in Greifswald was a great success right from the outset. With the introduction of the required courses, the Faculty was formally constituted on 26th October 1992 and the commission in charge of rebuilding the Faculty was no longer needed. The Faculty has now regained its membership and rights in the academic self-government of the University of Greifswald.
When the Ministry of Education authorised a degree course in Business Administration starting in the winter semester 1993/94, the Faculty was finally returned to its pre-war status. As a faculty comprising two degree courses, it wants to promote a fruitful collaboration of law and business both on a scientific as well as on a practical level.
By the winter semester of 1996/97 about 1,350 students were studying at the Faculty, with around 230 of them reading Business Administration. The Jurisprudence degree course had by then already reached full capacity. Since the summer of 1996 regular examinations are held for the Erste juristische Staatsprüfung (state law examination). The first Business Administration students graduated one year later.
It is the Faculty’s goal to regain its former ranking among German and European faculties.
The Faculty wants to offer its students an experience which promotes personal growth, offers the opportunity for individual mentoring and fosters a co-operation based on mutual respect which is so rare in the degree factories of today.
The Seal of the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Law and Economics
On the bottom left-hand side, to the left of the griffin, is the year in which the University and its Faculty of Law was established in 1456. Imprinted on the right-hand side is the year in which the Faculty of Law and Economics was added in 1915.
The inscription starting from centre bottom and going left reads as follows: Sigillum Ord (inis) In Univ (ersitate) Gryphi (swald)ensi J(ure) C(onsul) Torum Et Politicorum.