Free University of Berlin
The Free University of Berlin (German: Freie Universität Berlin, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. One of Germany's most recognised universities, it is known for its research in the humanities and social sciences, as well as in the field of natural and life sciences.
The Free University was founded in West Berlin in 1948 with American support during the early Cold War period as a de facto western continuation of the Frederick William University, which was located in East Berlin and faced strong communist repression; its name refers to West Berlin's status as part of the Western "free world," in contrast to the "unfree" Communist world in general and the "unfree" communist-controlled university in East Berlin in particular.
The Free University of Berlin is one of eleven German elite universities in the German Universities Excellence Initiative.
In 2008, in a joint effort, The Free University of Berlin, along with the Hertie School of Governance, and WZB Social Science Research Center Berlin, created the Berlin National Schools for Transnational Studies.
