The Alte Aula owes its present form to the designs of Josef Durm, who remodeled the hall in a lavish Historicist style for the 500th anniversary of Heidelberg University in 1886. Since then, the Aula has honored the university’s founders, reformers, patrons, and its most prominent scholars—from its beginnings to the 19th century—through portraits and busts.
Today, the Aula is primarily used by the university for academic ceremonies. However, it also serves as a venue for concerts, lectures, and other special events, where its dignified atmosphere adds a unique touch of elegance.
At the center of the front wall stands a bust of Grand Duke Friedrich of Baden, created by Friedrich Moest. To the left of the bust is a portrait of Elector Ruprecht I, the founder of Heidelberg University. To the right hangs a portrait of Margrave Karl Friedrich of Baden, who generously supported the university after Heidelberg became part of Baden. It is after these two figures that the university is officially named Ruprecht-Karls-Universität (Latin: Ruperto-Carola).
Above them, a painting depicts the arrival of Pallas Athena, the goddess of wisdom, in Heidelberg—symbolizing the founding of the university under Ruprecht I. The black-white-red flag of the German Empire carried ahead of Athena emphasizes the significance of Heidelberg as the oldest German university established after Prague and Vienna.
The Alte Aula is included in the university’s guided tours.
