Built: 1615 to 1618
Builders: Jesuit Order under Elector Johann Schweickhardt von Kronberg
Style: Renaissance

With its auditorium, strangely located on the excessively high third floor, the Domus Universitatis was a dignified venue for countless graduation ceremonies and university celebrations for 170 years.

Wenzel Hollar's cityscapes from 1632 clearly show that the college building towered noticeably above its secular surroundings. However, it was primarily the two ridge turrets that really emphasized its prominent position in the city.

The imposing four-story Renaissance building captivates with its simplicity. However, the two sky-high ridge turrets, which returned to the ridge of the steep roof in 2005 after an absence of over 200 years, are particularly striking.

There is also something to discover in the gable decorations above the two round-arched entrance portals: the coats of arms of the Elector of Mainz, Johann Schweickhardt von Kronberg (1604 to 1626), and the cathedral chapter. Both were created in the workshop of the Aschaffenburg sculptor Johannes Juncker.

The Old University continues to be home to academic institutions. Today, it serves as a research and work center for the JGU Journalism Seminar and the Leibniz Institute for European History. In addition to offices and seminar rooms, the building houses a well-equipped library containing approximately 87,000 titles on European history since the mid-15th century, as well as the institute's scholarship residence. Public events on academic topics are regularly held in the conference room.