Tübingen is a place that “should rather be seen with one’s own eyes than praised”. These words appear in the university founder's declaration of 1477, and they are as true today as they were then. The university has decisively shaped and continues to influence both the outward appearance of the town and the internal, social aspects of life in Tübingen. It is said that "Tübingen does not have a university, it is a university".

The first official mention of Tübingen dates from the year 1078. The emblems of this more than 900-year-old town are its historic center, Hohentübingen Castle, and Hölderlin's Tower on the Neckar River. Names such as Johannes Kepler, Georg W. F. Hegel, Friedrich Hölderlin, Friedrich Schelling, Ludwig Uhland, Ernst Bloch and Christiane Nüsslein-Vollhard (Nobel Prize winner) are inseparably linked with Tübingen.

A fascinating combination of charming contradictions is what makes the town so loveable and pleasant to live in. Tübingen is spoken of as a young and an old town, a small and a big town, a provincial and a cosmopolitan town, a "university village" and "Athens on the Neckar."

Tübingen is home to some 85,000 inhabitants and 23,000 students. The large number of foreign students and guest scholars, and the close connections and activities with partner cities in France (Aix-en-Provence), the USA (Ann Arbor), England (County of Durham), Italy (Perugia), Switzerland (Aigle, Kilchberg, Monthey), and Russia (Petrosawodsk) give Tübingen a decidedly international atmosphere and flair.

Tübingen is a place where you quickly feel at home. It invites you to stroll along its narrow, winding streets with their romantic half-timbered houses, and to enjoy its many congenial cafés, restaurants, and bars.

Tübingen offers a wide range of cultural activities, such as exhibitions, concerts, music festivals, theater, film, and sightseeing. The favorite student pastime of “punting” on the Neckar River can also be enjoyed by visitors seeking idyllic moments of relaxation and reflection.