|
|
|
Universities as Tourist Destinations |
|
|
Few tourists ever think of including universities in
their itineraries. But some universities have so many interesting
things to see - beautiful campuses, monumental buildings, historic
libraries, botanical gardens, etc. - that visits to them could later
be regarded as highlights of a tour. I’ve had the opportunity of
visiting a large variety of universities in different countries.
Some of them left only fleeting impressions, but there are a few
that I would strongly recommend to be worth a visit.
I won’t dwell on the obvious ones, such as the
University
of Heidelberg
in Germany, or the
University of Oxford
in England. These universities are so well-known, or form such an
integral part of the city in which they are situated, that visits to
them would normally be included in a sight-seeing tour. But I would
like to recommend the following four : two mainly because of their
breath-taking historic libraries, the other two mainly because of
their beautiful park-like campuses.
Ireland: The University of
Dublin (Trinity College)
Trinity College
is one of Ireland’s leading historical sites, attracting in excess
of half a million visitors every year. Founded in 1592, it is the
oldest university in Ireland. At present there are over 12 000
students and 1 200 staff members.
The campus is situated in the heart of Dublin, covering some 40
acres of cobbled squares and green spaces, around buildings which
represent the accumulated architectural riches of previous
centuries. An official guided Walking Tour of the Historic Campus is
available, operating on a scheduled-basis daily during May to
September, departing from the Front Arch of the University. Outside
this time tours are offered on weekends only. Tourists can discover
the university’s treasures on their own.
|
One of the
main attractions is the world famous Old Library, with
its priceless treasure, the Book of Kells. The main
chamber of the library, the breath-taking Long Room, with
its barrel-vaulted ceiling, is nearly 65 metres in length, and
houses around 200 000 of the library’s oldest books in its
ground-floor shelves and galleries. Marble busts are placed down
either side of the room. This collection started in 1743 when 14
busts of famous people were commissioned. One of the finest is
that of the writer, Jonathan Swift. A band of gold letters below
the gallery commemorates benefactors of the 17th and
18th centuries. Also to be seen here is the oldest
harp to survive in England, dating from the 15th
century, and constructed from oak and willow with brass strings.
This is the harp that appears on Irish coins. |
 |
The Book of Kells, containing the four Gospels
in Latin, was produced by Celtic monks around AD 800. This ornately
illustrated manuscript, surviving from the medieval period, has been
described as the zenith of Western calligraphy and illumination. It
is written on vellum, containing whole pages of incredibly intricate
and magnificent decorations, with smaller decorations appearing
throughout the text. Two volumes can normally be seen, one opened to
display a major decorated page, and one to show two pages of the
script.
My personal experience at this university is that I
was able to find our family’s coat of arms at their Centre for
Historical Research, after looking all over the world for it. I
couldn’t even find it in Germany, from where my forebears
originated. Today an authenticated copy hangs proudly displayed in
my house, next to six generations of Wolvaardts!
Portugal: The University
of Coimbra
Another great university with a historic and impressive library, but
also a beautiful botanical garden!
About 120 km. south of Porto, on the A1 to Lisbon and Porto, you
will find
Coimbra,
considered as the third most important city in Portugal (besides
Lisbon and Porto). It is in itself a worthwhile tourist destination,
with famous monuments, churches, and numerous parks and is located
over a hill by the river Mondego.
On top of the hill, from where you have an impressive view over the
city, lies the University of Coimbra, one of the oldest
universities in continuous operation in Europe and the world. It was
founded in 1290 and today boasts about 23 000 students.
|
 |
The Joanina Library is a national
monument, and has a priceless historical value, being one of the
main tourist attractions among the older monuments belonging to
the university.
It is a Baroque library, built in the 18th century,
and located in the university’s historic centre, near the
university tower. Over the entrance door it exhibits the
national coat of arms. Inside there are three great rooms
divided by decorated arches, bearing the same style of the
portal, and entirely executed by Portuguese artists. The walls
are covered by two-storied shelves, in gilded and painted exotic
woods; the painted ceilings, by the Lisbon artists Simões
Ribeiro and Vicente Nunes, blend harmoniously with the rest of
the decoration. The library contains about 250 000 volumes. |
The Botanical Gardens of 13 hectares,
considered one of the most beautiful of Europe, was founded in 1772,
is located in the Ursulinas Valley, part of the university campus.
The oldest part at the top of the valley (also comprising the
Library and the herbarium) is divided in terraces and is decorated
as other European gardens of the 18th century. The
visitor can spend a relaxing hour or two here, before continuing
with their journey.
The Netherlands: The
University of Twente
I mention this university purely because it has one
of the most beautiful campuses that I’ve seen. The university lies
between the two cities Enschede and Hengelo in the east of the
Netherlands, on the border of Germany some 120 km. from Amsterdam.
It was founded in 1961 and is the only real campus university in the
Netherlands. Approximately 6 000 students and 2 500 staff members
work here daily.
|
It is situated in a 146 hectare old park, which
provides a unique environment. The buildings are spaced in such
a way in the woodland landscape, that they cannot be seen from
one another. They are linked through winding paths, complemented
by open spaces, ponds and small lakes.
Numerous art installations can be found set in beautiful
locations. One of the most interesting is the so-called ‘sunken
village of Drienerloo’, with the spire of its church seen
reaching out of a lake. Another interesting art work, is a big
cube floating on the pond in front of the math building.
Waterbirds are found swimming freely in the water-flower
covered running streams.
Since the rural area in which the university lies is also quite
scenic, a visit to this university, when travelling in this
region, is more than worth-while. Accommodation can be booked at
the on-campus hotel, the Drienerloo; tel. +31 53 489
5424. |
|
Germany: University of
Hohenheim
The origins of this university goes back to the year
1818, when an agricultutral institution was founded. It later became
an “Agricultural College”, but since 1967 it is known as the
“University of Hohenheim”. Although it now offers tuition and
research to about 5 500 students in a wide range of the natural
sciences as well as in economics and the social sciences, it has
internationally established itself as one of Germany’s prime
institutions for agricultural higher education.
|
|
The main building of the university is the
beautiful, old
Hohenheim
Castle,
built between 1771 - 1793. It is the focal point within the
unique campus environment existing of botanical gardens which is
one of the tourist attractions of Stuttgart. Most of the
facilities are open to the public. The Old Botanical Garden
stretches around the castle in a southernly direction, whilst
the
New Botanical Garden
lies to the south-west and the
Exotic Garden
to the west. Starting from the castle itself, you may wander
along winding paths through this wonderland of majestic trees,
ponds and blooming flowers.
The
Agricultural Museum,
where the development of agricultural practice through the ages
is presented is also very interesting. Just ask for Mr.
Bernard Klocke, the curator, who will enthusiastically take
you through the treasures of this museum (Tel. +49 (0)711 459
3375). |
The university lies just outside Stuttgart, in the
suburb Plieningen, not far from the airport. The easiest way to
reach the university is to take the U5 or U6 underground/tram line
towards Leinfelden or Möhringen. At Möringen station, change for U3
towards Plieningen. From here a short walk takes you to the
university.
Others:
It is not
possible to describe more universities within the limits of this
article, but mention must be made of the following:
England: The Reed Hall
Gardens of the
University of
Exeter
lies in a valley of 300 acres, which have been dammed to create a
series of ponds. The campus is heavily planted with a range of
trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants to create a botanical landscape.
Some trees date from 1860.
Australia:
The beautiful 330 hectare Melbourne (Bundoora) campus of the
La Trobe University, north-east of the city centre, includes
the Melbourne Wildlife Sanctuary.
Finland:
The
University of Joensuu
has a collection of greenhouses of 570 square m., imitating five
climatic regions. Around these greenhouses there is an open garden
of about three hectares, whilst they have started with an Arboretum
of 73 hectares. They exchange seeds and plants with about 900
gardens in 113 countries.
USA:
When in New York, take the time to visit the campus of the
Wagner
College
on
Staten Island.
Voted by 56 000 students as the college with the most beautiful
campus in America in 2005, it offers a coveted view of New York
Harbour, the skyline of lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, and
other sights many visitors come to see every year.
- Manie Wolvaardt
|
