A Select Site in the Land of Ideas: Röntgenring Science Mile

Under the patronage of Federal President Horst Köhler, the Federal Government, the Federal Association of German Industries, and a variety of business companies launched the "Germany – Land of Ideas" image campaign in 2006, the year of the Soccer World Championship (http://www.land-der-ideen.de). Its purpose was to show, while Germany was hosting the event, "how German poets and thinkers, researchers and inventors have been making life more comfortable, safer, and more pleasant for centuries."

With its project of the "Röntgenring Science Mile", the University of Würzburg was one of the institutions to be awarded the much-coveted status of a Select Site in the "Land of Ideas."

At Würzburg's Röntgenring, which extends from the River Main past Central Station, no fewer than 10 out of the 14 Nobel Laureates of the University of Würzburg researched and taught along the 200-meter stretch between the former Physical Institute and the Old Chemistry Building. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (Nobel Prize in 1901) certainly was the most celebrated among them, yet others, such as Walter Nernst (Nobel Prize in 1920) or Karl Landsteiner (Nobel Prize 1930) have also contributed to the knowledge from which our society profits to this day.

Röntgenring Science Mile is a site steeped in the history of Science, as Julius-Maximilians University of Würzburg not only showcases these top-flight researchers, but also the working environments of these personalities. In looking back to the achievements of the Nobel Laureates associated with Würzburg so far, the University also wishes to demonstrate its commitment to top-level research today and in future, as well as its willingness to welcome young students and scientists, so that soon the fifteenth Nobel Laureate may be added to the list.