It’s an unlikely thing to wait in line for. Head down a side street, in through an anonymous door, and you’ll join a long line people waiting to go upstairs. Open a spiked metal gate at the top, and there you have it: the university jail. I’m in Heidelberg, visiting a series of small rooms covered in graffiti where students were imprisoned for centuries.
In Germany, in fact, the possession of a prison was a distinguishing feature of universities. It was a sign that the institution possessed legal authority over its members. It was also a product of the fact that students often misbehaved. Punishable crimes included the capture and cooking of pigeons, or dressing up like women.
The Studentenkarzer, formerly a prison for students of the Ruprecht-Karls-University, is now a museum. dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
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