More than six decades for European integration and science.
The story
of the Europa-Kolleg Hamburg
The academic Bruno Snell had been a driving force behind the founding of the college since the early 1950s. As an ancient philologist, Snell had studied the early European ideas of Greek antiquity, and as a man he had experienced the horrors of the Nazi dictatorship. Both shaped his vision of a democratic, united Europe. As Rector of the University of Hamburg, he repeatedly expressed this vision. On July 31, 1953, Snell achieved his goal: the Academic Senate decided to establish the Europa-Kolleg Hamburg Foundation.
The new facility is initially aimed at particularly qualified students from various disciplines. They would come from both Germany and abroad and live and learn together under one roof. For postgraduates, various further education and doctoral opportunities were added in the 1960s.
The Institute for Integration Research (today: Institute for European Integration) was founded in 1978. It is part of the Europa-Kolleg and at the same time an academic institution of the University of Hamburg. This creates the organizational framework for the development of research expertise.
Another milestone three decades later is the Research Training Group "Integration Research", funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), from which around 45 doctoral students emerge. In 1998, the Europa-Kolleg launches the postgraduate course "Master of European Studies". In 2009, this became part of the reformed "Master of European and European Legal Studies" course, which still exists today.
The work of the Europa-Kolleg Hamburg was and is held in high esteem by all. "Born from the experience and foresight of its founder, the Europa-Kolleg Hamburg has developed into an institution that has become an integral part of the German academic landscape," wrote Romano Prodi, then President of the EU Commission, in 2003. He wrote these lines in a greeting on the occasion of the College's 50th anniversary. "The link between university education and practical European politics - far ahead of its time - has also proved very successful."