Studentenkarzer (Student Prison), Heidelberg

As Heidelberg University flourished following its foundation in 1386, the antics of its students became increasingly notorious. By the 16th century, exasperated townspeople were at their wits’ end over their rowdy behaviour. In response, the university devised a novel solution: its own prison to curb student misconduct. The student lock-up occupied several locations over the centuries, with the present one, now open to visitors, in use from 1823 to 1914.

For offences ranging from drunken revelry and tampering with streetlamps to more unusual acts such as chasing pigs through the streets, students could be sentenced to up to two weeks in this small detention centre. More serious transgressions could result in confinement for as long as four weeks. Rather than serving as a deterrent, however, imprisonment gradually became a badge of honour and something of a rite of passage.

If all of this intrigues you, head into the entrance hallway and climb the wooden staircase up to the former detention cell floor.

Although students were technically permitted to attend classes during their confinement, many chose to skip lectures and instead passed the time composing verse or covering the walls with graffiti and candle-soot drawings. Step inside the individual cell rooms and take in the dense layers of painted fraternity crests, written rhymes, and black candle-soot silhouettes covering the plaster.

Today, these surviving inscriptions and sketches—found on the walls, above the doorways, and across the ceilings—offer a fascinating glimpse into the mischievous spirit of Heidelberg’s former students.