German Rejuvenation

A Trip to Tübingen

I spent four weeks living the life of a German college student at the University of Tübingen. They like to say there that Tübingen doesn’t have a university, it IS a university. The population figures look about the same as in Iowa City. About 85,000 people in the city, about 23,000 students at the university. In both cities the campus and the city are not clearly separated. Both cities are vibrant, diverse and interesting. I lived in a neighborhood of Tübingen known as the French Quarter. Until the 90s, it was a barracks occupied by the French military. The Germans reclaimed it as a civilian area, and today it is a lively community of homes and apartments, sidewalk cafes and other businesses. Click the "next page" link for more about this unique neighborhood, click here for a photo gallery that opens in a new window or tab.