45 Notable alumni of
University of Erfurt
Updated:
The University of Erfurt is 1420th in the world, 491st in Europe, and 58th in Germany by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 45 notable alumni from the University of Erfurt sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Susanne Hennig-Wellsow
- Occupations
- pedagoguepoliticianspeed skater
- Biography
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Susanne Hennig-Wellsow is a German politician. She was federal co-chairwoman of The Left from 2021 to 2022 and has served as a member of the Bundestag for Thuringia since 2021. Previously, she was a member of the Landtag of Thuringia from 2004 to 2021, leader of the Thuringia branch of The Left since November 2013, and leader of the state parliamentary group since December 2014.
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Ulrich von Hutten
- Occupations
- poetImperial Knightwriterphilosophermonk
- Biography
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Ulrich von Hutten was a German knight, scholar, poet and satirist, who later became a follower of Martin Luther and a Protestant reformer.
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August Neidhardt von Gneisenau
- Occupations
- Protestant reformerpoliticianreformermarshalmilitary officer
- Biography
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August Wilhelm Antonius Graf Neidhardt von Gneisenau was a Prussian field marshal. He was a prominent figure in the reform of the Prussian military and the War of Liberation.
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Carsten Schneider
- Occupations
- bank tellerpolitician
- Biography
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Carsten Schneider is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Climate Protection and Nuclear Safety in the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz since 2025.
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Andreas Karlstadt
- Occupations
- university teachertheologianProtestant reformer
- Biography
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Andreas Rudolph Bodenstein von Karlstadt, better known as Andreas Karlstadt, Andreas Carlstadt or Karolostadt, in Latin, Carolstadius, or simply as Andreas Bodenstein, was a German Protestant theologian, University of Wittenberg chancellor, a contemporary of Martin Luther and a reformer of the early Reformation.
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Leonhart Fuchs
- Enrolled in the University of Erfurt
- Studied in 1515-1516
- Occupations
- physicianpteridologistbotanistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Leonhart Fuchs, sometimes spelled Leonhard Fuchs and cited in Latin as Leonhartus Fuchsius, was a German physician and botanist. His chief notability is as the author of a large book about plants and their uses as medicines, a herbal, which was first published in 1542 in Latin. It has about 500 accurate and detailed drawings of plants, which were printed from woodcuts. The drawings are the book's most notable advance on its predecessors. Although drawings had been used in other herbal books, Fuchs's book proved and emphasized high-quality drawings as the most telling way to specify what a plant name stands for.
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Joseph Martin Kraus
- Occupations
- choreographerconductorcomposeruniversity teachermusic critic
- Biography
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Joseph Martin Kraus, was a German-Swedish composer in the Classical era who was born in Miltenberg am Main, Holy Roman Empire. He moved to Sweden at age 21, and died at the age of 36 in Stockholm. He has been referred to as "the Swedish Mozart", although his music is rarely performed today. He is best known for having been a sacred music composer, while his symphonic output was much higher than is extant today. He composed in a wide array of forms, and took his greatest aesthetic influence from Haydn and Mozart. His competency and artistic skill was praised almost universally during his time.
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George Spalatin
- Occupations
- historiantheologianjurist
- Biography
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Georg Spalatin ( German: [ˈʃpaːlatiːn]) was the pseudonym taken by Georg Burkhardt ( German: [ˈɡeːɔʁk ˈbʊʁkhaʁt]; 17 January 1484 – 16 January 1545), a German humanist, theologian, reformer, secretary of the Saxon Elector Frederick the Wise, as well as an important figure in the history of the Reformation.
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Justus Jonas
- Occupations
- theologianhistorianjuristuniversity teacherpoet
- Biography
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Justus Jonas, the Elder, or simply Justus Jonas, was a German Lutheran theologian and reformer. He was a Jurist, Professor and Hymn writer. He is best known for his translations of the writings of Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon. He accompanied Martin Luther in his final moments.
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Francis of Waldeck
- Enrolled in the University of Erfurt
- Studied in 1506
- Occupations
- Catholic priestCatholic bishop
- Biography
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Count Franz von Waldeck was Prince-Bishop of Münster, Osnabrück, and Minden in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. He suppressed the Münster Rebellion, a millenarian Anabaptist theocratic insurrection which occupied the fortified city of Münster.
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Elisabeth Kaiser
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Elisabeth Kaiser is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as a member of the Bundestag from the state of Thuringia since 2017.
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Rudolph Goclenius
- Occupations
- lexicographerphilosopherlinguistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Rudolph Goclenius the Elder was a German scholastic philosopher. He is sometimes credited with coining the term psychology in 1590, though the term had been used by Pier Nicola Castellani and Gerhard Synellius 65 years earlier.
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Friedrich Hoffmann
- Occupations
- physicianchemistuniversity teacherpediatrician
- Biography
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Friedrich Hoffmann or Hofmann was a German physician and chemist. He is also sometimes known in English as Frederick Hoffmann.
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Philipp Nicolai
- Occupations
- composerpoethymnwritertheologian
- Biography
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Philipp Nicolai was a German Lutheran pastor, poet, and composer. He is most widely recognized as a hymnodist.
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Johann Jakob Wilhelm Heinse
- Occupations
- poet lawyerwritertranslatorart historianlibrarian
- Biography
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(Johann Jakob) Wilhelm Heinse (16 February 1746 – 22 June 1803) was a German author. He was born at Langewiesen in Schwarzburg-Sondershausen (now in Thuringia).
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Joachim Camerarius
- Occupations
- Renaissance humanistpoetclassical philologistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Joachim Camerarius, the Elder, was a German classical scholar. His critical abilities, his deep understanding of Greek and Latin, and his wide-ranging knowledge of the ancient world made him one of the foremost German scholars of his time.
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Hiob Ludolf
- Occupations
- philologistwriterorientalist
- Biography
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Hiob or Job Ludolf, also known as Job Leutholf, was a German orientalist, born at Erfurt. Edward Ullendorff rates Ludolf as having "the most illustrious name in Ethiopic scholarship".
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Johann Hieronymus Schröter
- Occupations
- astronomercartographerjuristClerical Officer
- Biography
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Johann Hieronymus Schröter was a German astronomer.
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Jakob Wimpfeling
- Occupations
- historianpoetuniversity teachertheologian
- Biography
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Jakob Wimpfeling was a Renaissance humanist and theologian.
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Helius Eobanus Hessus
- Enrolled in the University of Erfurt
- Studied in 1504
- Occupations
- university teacherpoetwriter
- Biography
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Helius Eobanus Hessus was a German Latin poet and later a Lutheran humanist. He was born at Halgehausen in Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel).
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Matthäus Zell
- Occupations
- theologian
- Biography
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Matthäus Zell was a Lutheran pastor and an early Protestant reformer based in Strasbourg. He joined the Reformation as early as 1521.
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Michael Altenburg
- Occupations
- composer
- Biography
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Michael Altenburg was a German theologian and composer.
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Lorenz von Bibra
- Occupations
- Catholic priestCatholic bishop
- Biography
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Lorenz von Bibra, Duke in Franconia was Prince-Bishop of the Bishopric of Würzburg from 1495 to 1519. His life paralleled that of Maximilian I (1459–1519), who ruled the Holy Roman Empire from 1493 to 1519, whom Lorenz served as an advisor.
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Nathanael Matthaeus von Wolf
- Occupations
- naturalistastronomerbotanistphysician
- Biography
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Nathanael Matthaeus von Wolf, Nathanael Matthäus von Wolf, Polish: Nataniel Mateusz Wolf was an ethnic German botanist, physician, and astronomer who lived most of his life in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
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Erhard Schnepf
- Occupations
- university teachertheologian
- Biography
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Erhard Schnepf was a German Lutheran Theologian, Pastor, and early Protestant reformer. He was among the earliest followers of Luther convinced to his views at the 1518 Heidelberg Disputation.
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David Hollatz
- Occupations
- writertheologian
- Biography
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David Hollatz was a German Lutheran theologian.
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Carl Wigand Maximilian Jacobi
- Occupations
- psychiatristphysician
- Biography
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Carl Wigand Maximilian Jacobi was a German psychiatrist.
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Georg Witzel
- Occupations
- theologian
- Biography
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Georg Witzel was a German theologian.
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Steffen Dittes
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Steffen Dittes is a German politician (Die Linke, PDS). He was a member of the Landtag of Thuringia from 1994 to 2004 and again between 2014 and 2024. From March 2021 to September 2024 he was chairman of his parliamentary group in the Thuringian state parliament.
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Justus Menius
- Occupations
- preachertheologian
- Biography
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Justus Menius was a German Lutheran pastor and Protestant reformer whose name is Latinized from Jost or Just (i.e. Jodocus) Menig.
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Ernst Gottfried Baldinger
- Occupations
- university teacherbotanistentomologist
- Biography
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Ernst Gottfried Baldinger, German physician, was born in Großvargula near Erfurt.
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Kristina Nordt
- Enrolled in the University of Erfurt
- 2000-2005 graduated with Magister Artium in political science and government
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Kristina Nordt is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and political scientist. She was a member of the German Bundestag from March 2021 to October 2021.
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Christian Beyer
- Occupations
- university teachertranslatorpolitician
- Biography
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Christian Beyer was a Saxon Chancellor, international lawyer and Protestant reformer. In documents partially different names and spellings can be found (Bayer, Peyer, Bayarius, Bayoarius, Bavarus, Cristoferus Bauari, etc.).
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Johann IV Roth
- Occupations
- Catholic priestCatholic bishop
- Biography
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Johann Roth was Bishop of Lavant from 1468 to 1482 and Prince-Bishop of Wrocław (Breslau) from 1482 until his death. He was known as a brilliant speaker, humanist and supporter of the arts and learning.
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Johann Heinrich Baumann
- Occupations
- painter
- Biography
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Johann Heinrich Baumann was a Baltic German artist who mainly lived and worked in what is today Latvia.
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Mathias Metternich
- Occupations
- mathematicianuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Mathias Metternich was a German mathematician and professor at the University of Mainz. As a revolutionary, he was active in the Republic of Mainz.
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Weigand of Redwitz
- Enrolled in the University of Erfurt
- Studied in 1493
- Occupations
- Catholic priestCatholic bishop
- Biography
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Weigand of Redwitz was Prince-Bishop of Bamberg from 1522 until his death.
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Conrad von Bibra
- Years
- 1490-1544 (aged 54)
- Occupations
- Catholic priest
- Biography
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Conrad von Bibra, Duke in Franconia (1490–1544) was Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1540 to 1544.
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Johann Dryander
- Occupations
- astronomeruniversity teacheranatomistmathematicianphysician
- Biography
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Johannes Dryander, also known as Johannes Eichmann, was an academic.
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Johannes Musaeus
- Occupations
- university teachertheologian
- Biography
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Johannes Musaeus was a German Protestant theologian.
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Johannes ab Indagine
- Occupations
- writertheologianmonkscribe
- Biography
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Johannes de Indagine, also known as Johannes Indaginis, John of Hagen, otherwise Johannes Bremer von Hagen was a German Carthusian monk, Catholic theologian and theological author.
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Sigismund Friedrich Hermbstädt
- Occupations
- university teacherchemistpharmacist
- Biography
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Sigismund Friedrich Hermbstädt was a German pharmacist and chemist who wielded great influence on the improvement of science education for pharmacists. He also made numerous contributions in the fields of industrial and agricultural chemistry.
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Felix Hemmerlin
- Occupations
- Catholic priesttheologian
- Biography
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Felix Hemmerlin, or Felix Malleolus in Latin, was a Swiss Roman Catholic cleric, author, church official and advocate of church reform.
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August Friedrich Müller
- Occupations
- writerphilosopher
- Biography
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August Friedrich Müller was a German legal scholar and logician.
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Heinrich August Erhard
- Occupations
- historianarchivistlibrarianphysician
- Biography
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Heinrich August Erhard was a German physician, archivist and historian.
