What Jena is, it owes to its university. Anyone who wanders a stretch through the gently winding Saale valley and attentively takes in the features of a millennia-old culture will soon find a common theme for the gray little towns along the banks here and there, which can be lined up like pearls on a string: They were all once brought to life by the purpose of border defense. This was during the tumultuous times of the Saxon and Franconian emperors, when Thuringia was not yet the heart of the German Empire, but rather its outstretched arm to the east.

The Verlag der Wissenschaften publishes historical literature by both well-known and lesser-known scientific authors. This makes works that have long been out of print accessible again to interested readers. This book about old Jena and its university, a commemorative gift for the university celebration, is an unaltered, high-quality reprint of the original edition from 1908, illustrated with over 100 historical images.