Notable Persons linked to Wuerzburg

Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow

Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow was a German doctor, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist, known as "the father of modern pathology". He was a professor of pathology and the holder of the first German chair of pathology. He worked at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg from 1849 to 1856.

Friedrich Prym

Friedrich Prym was a renowned mathematician and Chair of Mathematics. When he began his professorship in 1869 in Würzburg,  there was not a single math student. Friedrich Prym’s specialized field was the functional theory which he – inspired by the important mathematician Bernhard Riemann - significantly developed further.

Charles Edward Spearman

Charles Edward Spearman was a British psychologist and the inventor of exploratory factor analysis. Between 1904 and 1906, he conducted part of his doctoral research in Würzburg under the supervision of Oswald Külpe. His pioneering work on correlation measurement, measurement error, and the reliability of psychological measurement laid the foundations for modern factor analysis.

Elli Beinhorn

Elly Beinhorn, one of Germany’s pioneering female aviators, trained in Würzburg in 1929, earning her aerobatics license under Robert Ritter von Greim. She later gained additional flight certifications, including seaplane and blind-flying licenses. In 1932, she achieved international fame with a solo flight around the world. As the Nazi regime rose to power, Beinhorn refused to join the Luftwaffe—unlike many of her peers—and was banned from flying during World War II.

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was a German physicist and university teacher, from 1888 as Professor of Physics and Head of the Physics Institute of the University of Würzburg. He is considered one of the most important scholars of our university. On 8 November 1895, he discovered – here in Würzburg – the "X-rays", the Röntgen rays later named after him. For this discovery he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 and donated the prize money to our University.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German poet, writer and naturalist. In addition to his best-known works such as ‘Faust’ or ‘Der Zauberlehrling’ (‘The Sorcerer's Apprentice’), there are many surviving quotations from Goethe in which he expresses his love of wine. He was particularly fond of the "Würzburger Stein" wine. In 1806 he wrote from Jena to his wife Christiane: "Send me some 'Würzburger', no other wine tastes good to me and I am annoyed when I run out of my favourite drink". A school and a street in Würzburg are named after Goethe.

Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk Nowitzki is one of the most successful basketball players in history and former german international. He played almost 20 years in the NBA, the professional basketball league of North America, for the Dallas Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki was born in Würzburg in 1978, where he spent his youth. In Würzburg, he also started playing basketball at DJK Würzburg. His greatest success was winning the NBA championship in 2011. A welcoming ceremony was held on the balcony of the Würzburg Residence – 10,000 people celebrated him.

Leonie Antonia Beck

Leonie Antonia Beck is a German open water swimmer placed in Würzburg. She is a multiple German champion and has competed in three Summer Olympics, winning three open water world championships.

Emil Fischer

Emil Fischer, one of the most influential chemists of the late 19th and early 20th century, worked in Würzburg from 1885 to 1892 as professor of chemistry. During his Würzburg years, he carried out groundbreaking research on sugars and purines, laying the foundation for modern biochemistry. His precise structural studies of glucose and other carbohydrates brought him international recognition and contributed to a deeper understanding of essential biological processes. Fischer’s time in Würzburg was marked by both intense research activity and the training of many young chemists who later achieved distinction themselves. In 1902 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on sugar and purine synthesis, achievements that were significantly shaped by his productive years in Würzburg.