Federal Railway Directorate
Two departments of the University of Wuppertal move to Döpperseberg
From the winter semester 2025/26, the former Federal Railway Headquarters will also be a place of study, learning and work for students and employees of the university of Wuppertal // Photo Karsten Kukulies
The new site combines historical architecture with modern facilities. In the future, the university will have workspaces for up to 160 employees spread over around 5,500 square metres and five floors. The premises offer a contemporary environment for research, teaching and counselling. They will be used by the Institute for Educational Research and parts of the central student guidance and counselling services (ZSB).
"By moving into the Federal Railway Directorate, we are not only creating additional space for our growing teacher training and educational research, but also a visible sign of the close connection between the university and the city," explains University Rector Prof Dr Birgitta Wolff. "The central location on Döppersberg strengthens the BUW's presence in the centre of Wuppertal and contributes to the further development of the university location."
Educational research and talent scouts now at Döppersberg
For the first time, all educational research at the University of Wuppertal will work together in one building, resulting in numerous synergies for research and teacher training. In addition, the IfB is where educational science and special education training for all teacher training programmes at the University of Wuppertal takes place. Accordingly, around 8,000 students (as of summer semester 2025) come to the former Federal Railway Directorate for parts of their studies to study and work. Among other things, there is an outpatient centre as well as nine new seminar rooms and a small lecture hall equipped with modern media technology. There are also additional common rooms and self-study rooms for students from all faculties.
"The rooms enable modern learning. We can offer future teachers a technically innovative and future-oriented education," explains Prof Dr Gino Casale, Chair of the Institute of Educational Research. Three seminar rooms are hybrid-capable, allowing students to learn and work on site together with students from another location - for example from home or another university - or with external experts in high audio and video quality. "There is also a fully videographable classroom in which modern research and education can be combined," says Prof Dr Christian Huber, providing further insights into the new facilities. Huber helped coordinate the move for the Institute of Educational Research and will be jointly responsible for the classroom in future.
View of the corridors and rooms of the former Federal Railway Directorate // Photos (3) Karsten Kukulies
Talent scouting close to the centre
With the relocation of the talent scouts, the central student guidance and counselling services have also expanded their premises to include modern counselling offices and a small seminar room, which is mainly used for group events. The good public transport connections to the new location are an advantage. This means that students on the talent scouting programme who travel from the Bergisch city triangle and the Mettmann district can attend a counselling session at the university without having to change trains.
"The presence in the urban area as well as the now even closer contact with the city and the job centre offers potential for expanding the long-standing cross-institutional cooperation in the transition from school to university/career, especially with a view to promoting equal opportunities for young people in our region," summarises Dr Christine Hummel, Head of Central Student Guidance and Counselling Services.
The talent scouts support pupils who generally come from a non-academic background, but who can develop their skills through individual support, often over several years. The talent scouts work together with the pupils in a protected atmosphere to develop individual and open-ended solutions and plans for their professional future, point out paths, create helpful networks and open up access to existing support instruments in the education system.
Cafeteria
There will be a cafeteria in the former Federal Railway Headquarters so that students, teaching staff and employees of the city have the opportunity to eat and drink. There will be coffee, snacks and meals. The cafeteria will be located in the basement of the Federal Railway Directorate. It is planned to open in the winter semester 2025/26.
