LMU celebrates 200 years in Munich

Enlarge

With nearly 1,000 guests in attendance, LMU Munich celebrated its ‘birthday’ in the Bavarian capital – marking 200 years since its move from Landshut to Munich – and officially inaugurated its new president, Professor Matthias Tschöp. Guests in the Great Aula included representatives from academia, politics, and society. The ceremonial speech was delivered by Bavarian Minister-President Dr. Markus Söder.

“LMU is a flagship of the higher education landscape, combining excellence in the humanities with high tech. It is Germany’s largest university, with 54,000 students and more than 800 professorships. With 50 Nobel laureates since 1901, it is our ‘Nobel Prize forge’ and, together with TU Munich, rightly the best university in the EU. We are supporting this with full commitment: through the Hightech Agenda Bavaria, we are investing seven billion euros in future technologies such as AI and supercomputing, defense tech, bio-life sciences, and university hospitals. Anyone who wants to compete globally must offer world-class performance. Research and innovation are the foundation of a successful Bavaria in the future", said the Minister-President in his address. "Matthias Tschöp is a perfect match for the office of LMU President: born in Munich, educated at LMU, and internationally renowned in the field of metabolic diseases. As a science manager, he enjoys the highest reputation. All the best and every success in this legendary role as LMU President!”

Under the reign of King Ludwig I, Munich developed into a center of major cultural and academic institutions in the early nineteenth century. The relocation of the university from Landshut to the royal capital played a key role in Ludwig’s plans. It was intended to modernize the city and its administration and to strengthen Munich’s position as a cultural hub. The impact of this mission, which laid the foundations for the university’s further development, continues to this day.

Inauguration of President Tschöp

At the heart of the evening was the inaugural address of Professor Matthias Tschöp as President of LMU. In his speech, titled “What Knowledge Creates,” he outlined his vision for the university in the years ahead.

Science, Tschöp emphasized, is the foundation of societal progress and indispensable in addressing global challenges. Especially in times of profound transformation, we need science that is “excellent, free, and creative – generated at universities, wanted by society, supported by policymakers, safeguarded in its freedom, and recognized in its responsibility.”

For LMU, he observed, this means systematically thinking about freedom and excellence in relation to each other. To this end, the university will further expand its international partnerships, actively recruit outstanding researchers, and guide talented young researchers to academic independence at an earlier stage.

Tschöp stressed that universities are not mere repositories of knowledge but “workshops of the future” – places where new ideas emerge because diverse perspectives meet. LMU will continually renew this commitment, he affirmed, grounded in its tradition as a university offering a comprehensive range of disciplines: “At LMU, there are no ‘important’ and ‘unimportant’ disciplines – because the value of a field lies not only in its immediate utility, but in the perspective it offers on the world,” the president explained.

“Excellence is not a label, but a milieu,” Tschöp continued. For LMU, he pledged: “We want to, and will, demonstrate that excellent, free science not only generates knowledge but has a huge impact – scientifically, socially, and, where appropriate, economically. We embrace this responsibility.”

With regard to Munich as a scientific hub, Tschöp underlined the close cooperation with partner institutions in the region and beyond, including within the “One Munich Strategy” and in particular with the Technical University of Munich. The goal, he said, is to further enhance LMU’s international visibility and competitiveness while working together to advance Munich as a center of scientific endeavor: “We want to listen, to engage in dialogue, to explain – not from an ivory tower, but at the heart of society.”

A discussion on the role of universities

President Tschöp’s address was followed by a roundtable discussion titled “What Are Universities For?” Participants included LMU Nobel laureate Professor Ferenc Krausz, LMU Vice President Professor Carola Metzner-Nebelsick, Director-General of Bayerischer Rundfunk Dr. Katja Wildermuth, Dr. Rolf-Dieter Jungk, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and Dr. Ani Movsisyan from the Chair of Public Health. They discussed the “longing for simple answers” and the expectations placed on universities in a rapidly changing society.

The panel emphasized the importance of scientific cooperation and support for early-career researchers, highlighting LMU’s role as a university that offers a full range of disciplines, fosters interdisciplinary exchange, and enables scholars to grow beyond the boundaries of their own fields.

Honorary doctorate for Antje Boetius

Enlarge

At the close of the ceremony, LMU President Matthias Tschöp and the Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences, Professor Claudia Trepmann, conferred an honorary doctorate upon internationally renowned marine biologist Antje Boetius, President of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, in recognition of her contributions to deep-sea and polar research.

“Professor Boetius has opened up new horizons with her research and shaped our understanding of the deep sea and polar regions in lasting ways,” said Trepmann. “She exemplifies a socially responsible approach to science and inspires early-career researchers to pursue their work with equal dedication.”

In her inspiring keynote lecture, “Never Backwards! – Expedition to the Future,” Boetius reflected on 200 years of polar research and addressed the challenges ahead, including melting glaciers and rising sea levels. She highlighted not only the global significance of polar research, but also the importance of basic research and the responsibility of universities to take a leading role in society – so that “knowledge can create the future.”

History and future

By linking the commemoration of 200 years in Munich with the inauguration of President Matthias Tschöp, the ceremony underscored how closely history and the future are intertwined – and how strategic decisions shape a university’s development for generations. Tschöp sees it as his responsibility to foster academic freedom and excellence so that they can create impact for science and society alike. “I promise you today, as President of LMU: We will strive every single day to make this university even better.”