Citizens' Campus: The founding of the Ilmenauer Hochschule in 1953 - A brilliant idea. Practically not without problems

The idea of founding a higher education institution in Ilmenau in the early GDR in 1953 was well thought out strategically, but not very well planned in terms of content. In his lecture as part of the TU Ilmenau Bürgercampus, Ralf Weber from the TU Ilmenau describes how the founding rector of the Hochschule für Elektrotechnik, Hans Stamm, and some close confidants nevertheless managed to put the idea into practice. The fact that the young university produced graduates of recognized educational quality shortly after its foundation and quickly gained a good reputation beyond the borders of Thuringia is primarily thanks to Hans Stamm and his companions. Thanks to Stamm's assertiveness with the authorities, the founders soon succeeded in expanding the university of electrical engineering with just one technical faculty, initially by one and later by further faculties.