What university did the Brothers Grimm attend?

The Brothers Grimm attended the University of Marburg. Jacob began studying law there in 1802, and his younger brother Wilhelm joined him in 1803. Although they entered the university to prepare for legal careers, their studies soon redirected their interests toward medieval literature, German history, language, and folklore.

At Marburg, the brothers studied under Friedrich Carl von Savigny, a prominent legal scholar and historian. Savigny’s teaching helped awaken their interest in older German texts and traditions. Their time at the university also introduced them to the intellectual world of German Romanticism, including ideas about preserving traditional poetry and stories.

The Grimms were not wealthy students and faced social disadvantages because of their background. They were excluded from some forms of financial assistance available to richer students, but their outsider status encouraged them to focus intensely on their studies. Their later folklore work became much more famous than their legal training. The first volume of their “Children’s and Household Tales” appeared in 1812, but the scholarly interests that shaped it developed during and after their years at Marburg.