skip to content

1 / 7
  • historical title page from 1784 Enlarged view:
    Titelblatt von Conspectus Praelengendorum in alma Universitate Coloniensi ex anno 1784 in annum 1785
  • Title page of a course catalog from the year 2007/08. Enlarged view:
    Titelblatt Vorlesungsverzeichnis für das WS 07/08
  • Title page of a course catalog from 1964. Enlarged view:
    Titelblatt Pädagogische Hochschule Köln SS1964
  • Title page of a course catalog from the year 1903/04. Enlarged view:
    Titelblatt Städt. Handels-Hochschule Cöln Vorlesungs-Verzeichnis WS 1903/04
  • Title page of a course catalog from the year 1903/04. Enlarged view:
    Titelblatt Hochschule für Kommunale und Soziale Verwaltung Cöln SS1912 Samstagskurse
  • Title page of a lecture and staff directory of the University of Cologne from the winter semester 1928/29. Enlarged view:
    Titelblatt Vorlesungs- und Personalverzeichniss der Universität zu Köln WS 1928/29
  • Title page of a University of Cologne lecture directory from the winter semester 1932/33. Enlarged view:
    Titelblatt Universität zu Köln Vorlesungs-Verzeichnis WS 1932/33

The Cologne Personnel and Lecture Directories

The present University of Cologne, one of the largest German universities, has not existed in this form for a century, but can look at a tradition that goes back much further. Founded in 1388 as the fourth university of the Holy Roman Empire (after Heidelberg, Prague and Vienna), the medieval University of Cologne was abolished in 1798, but was replaced by a central school (école centrale), which did not survive French rule. The modern university, founded about a century later in 1919, was based on three predecessor universities, the Commercial College (1901) with the College for Municipal and Social Administration (1912), the Academy for Practical Medicine (1904) and the Association for Further Education in Law and Political Science (1906). IIn 1980, the Cologne Department of the then German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology began its work.
 In 1980, the Cologne Department of the then University of Education Rheinland was incorporated as the fourth university.


Since the 17th century, printed overviews of the courses offered by many universities have been developed. Later, these lists were expanded to include lecturers and lists of the individual seminars and institutes. The lecture directories of the modern university, which were published under changing titles, were the central publication of each university for a long time. Therefore, they constitute the core of the university-related literature, which shall be digitized step by step. Cologne University began publishing such directories in the late 18th century. These directories, as well as those of the predecessor institutions, are now being digitized and placed on the Internet. Since 2010, the course catalogue has no longer appeared in print. These issues will be archived as pdf files on the Cologne University Publication Server (KUPS) starting with the summer term 2010. The staff and institute directory will still appear in print every two years.

logo of free access

All rights reserved - Free access

This object (digital collection of Cologne personnel and lecture directories) is subject to copyright and/or related rights. The object is accessible free of charge, but its use is subject to the license terms of the institution providing the object.

Unless expressly provided otherwise in the License Agreement, you may use this Object in accordance with the laws of your country, including browsing, printing, and making a copy for your personal use.

All other acts of reproduction and public distribution are subject to the license terms attached to this object.

If you use our digitised documents, we would be pleased about the citing of our name.

This collection is marked with Open Access.

Open Access refers to the worldwide free access to scientific publications on the Internet, subject to copyright protection. No legal or financial barriers should stand in the way of the reader worldwide.

Open Access at the University and City Library of Cologne