The
Humboldt University of Berlin (,
HU Berlin) is one of
Berlin's oldest
universities, founded on 15 October 1810 as the
University of Berlin (
Universität zu Berlin) by the liberal
Prussian educational reformer and linguist
Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities. From 1828 it was known as the
Frederick William University (
Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität), and later (unofficially) also as the
Universität unter den Linden after its location in the former palace of
Prince Henry of Prussia (1726–1802) which his brother, King
Frederick II, had built for him between 1748 and 1753 on the avenue
Unter den Linden. In 1949, it changed its name to
Humboldt-Universität in honour of both its founder Wilhelm and his brother, geographer
Alexander von Humboldt. In 2012, the Humboldt University of Berlin was one of eleven German universities to win in the
German Universities Excellence Initiative, a national competition for universities organized by the German Federal Government. The university has educated 29 nobel prize winners and is considered one of the most prestigious universities in Europe overall as well as one of the most prestigious universities worldwide for arts and humanities.