Editing Charles University (section)

===Split into Czech and German universities===
It soon became clear that neither the [[German-speaking Bohemian]]s nor the Czechs were satisfied with the bilingual arrangement that the university had established after the revolutions of 1848. The Czechs also refused to support the idea of the reinstitution of the 1349 [[Nation (university)|student nations]], instead declaring their support for the idea of keeping the university together, but dividing it into separate [[University college|colleges]], one German and one Czech. This would allow both Germans and Czechs to retain the collective traditions of the university. German-speakers, however, quickly vetoed this proposal, preferring a pure German university: they proposed to split Charles-Ferdinand University into two separate institutions.

[[File:Hopfner Promotionsurkunde.jpg|thumb|Doctoral diploma of [[Friedrich Hopfner]], issued 1905 by the [[German Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague]]|263x263px]]
After long negotiations, Charles-Ferdinand was divided into '''German Charles-Ferdinand University''' ({{langx|de|Deutsche Karl-Ferdinands-Universität}}) and '''Czech Charles-Ferdinand University''' ({{langx|cs|Česká universita Karlo-Ferdinandova}}) by an act of the [[Imperial Council (Austria)|Cisleithanian Imperial Council]], which Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph]] sanctioned on 28 February 1882.<ref>{{cite book | chapter-url = http://libri.cz/databaze/dejiny/text/t73.html | first = František | last = Čapka | title = Dějiny zemí Koruny české v datech | chapter = X. Směřování k samostatnému státu | language = cs | isbn = 978-80-85983-67-8 | url = http://www.libri.cz/databaze/dejiny/ | publisher = Libri | location = Prague | year = 1999 | access-date = 21 June 2009 | archive-date = 12 July 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140712045425/http://www.libri.cz/databaze/dejiny/ | url-status = dead}}</ref> Each section was entirely independent of the other, and enjoyed equal status. The two universities shared medical and scientific institutes, the old insignia, aula, library, and botanical garden, but common facilities were administered by the German University. The first rector of the Czech University became {{ill|Václav Vladivoj Tomek|de|Václav Vladivoj Tomek}}.

In 1890, the Royal and Imperial Czech Charles-Ferdinand University had 112 teachers and 2,191 students and the Royal and Imperial German Charles-Ferdinand University had 146 teachers and 1,483 students. Both universities had three faculties; the Theological Faculty remained the common until 1891, when it was divided as well. In the winter semester of 1909–10 the German Charles-Ferdinand University had 1,778 students; these were divided into: 58 theological students, for both the secular priesthood and religious orders; 755 law students; 376 medical; 589 philosophical. Among the students were about 80 women. The professors were divided as follows: theology, 7 regular professors, 1 assistant professor, 1 docent; law, 12 regular professors, 2 assistant professors, 4 docents; medicine, 15 regular professors, 19 assistant, 30 docents; philosophy, 30 regular professors, 8 assistant, 19 docents, 7 lecturers. The Czech Charles-Ferdinand University in the winter semester of 1909–10 included 4,319 students; of these 131 were theological students belonging both to the secular and regular clergy; 1,962 law students; 687 medical; 1,539 philosophical; 256 students were women. The professors were divided as follows: theological faculty, 8 regular professors, 2 docents; law, 12 regular, 7 assistant professors, 12 docents; medicine, 16 regular professors, 22 assistant, 24 docents; philosophy, 29 regular, 16 assistant, 35 docents, 11 lecturers.<ref name = "CE" />

The high point of the German University was the era preceding the First World War, when it was home to world-renowned scientists such as physicist and philosopher [[Ernst Mach]], [[Moritz Winternitz]] and [[Albert Einstein]]. In addition, the German-language students included prominent individuals such as future writers [[Max Brod]], [[Franz Kafka]], and [[Johannes Urzidil]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.johannes-urzidil.cz/zivot.html | title = Johannes Urzidil – život – chronologie | publisher = Společnost Johannese Urzidila | language = cs | access-date = 21 June 2009}}</ref> The "Lese- und Redehalle der deutschen Studenten in Prag" ("Reading and Lecture Hall of the German students in Prague"), founded in 1848, was an important social and scientific centre. Their library contained in 1885 more than 23,519 books and offered 248 scientific journals, 19 daily newspapers, 49 periodicals and 34 papers of entertainment. Regular lectures were held to scientific and political themes.

Even before the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]] was abolished in late 1918, to be succeeded by [[Czechoslovakia]], Czech politicians demanded that the insignia of 1348 were exclusively to be kept by the Czech university.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} The ''Act No. 197/1919 Sb. z. a n.'' established the Protestant Theological Faculty, but not as a part of the Charles University.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://psp.cz/eknih/1918ns/ps/stenprot/043schuz/s043002.htm | title = Národní shromáždění československé 1918–1920, 43. schůze, část 2/10 | date = 8 April 1919 | language = cs | work = Společná česko-slovenská digitální parlamentní knihovna}}</ref> (That changed on 10 May 1990, when it finally became a faculty of the university.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://web.etf.cuni.cz/ETFENG-24.html | title = A brief history of the Protestant Theological Faculty of Charles University | publisher = Protestant Theological Faculty of Charles University | date = 12 March 2009}}</ref>)

In 1920, the so-called ''[[Iuridictum:Lex Mareš|Lex Mareš]]'' (No. 135/1920 Sb. z. a n.) was issued, named for its initiator, professor of physiology [[František Mareš]], which determined that the Czech university was to be the successor to the original university.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://psp.cz/eknih/1918ns/ps/stenprot/105schuz/s105003.htm | title = Národní shromáždění československé 1918–1920, 105. schůze, část ⅜ | date = 1 January 1920 | language = cs | work = Společná česko-slovenská digitální parlamentní knihovna}}</ref> Dropping the Habsburg name ''Ferdinand'', it designated itself '''Charles University''', while the German university was not named in the document, and then became officially called the '''German University in Prague''' ({{langx|de|Deutsche Universität Prag}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://is.cuni.cz/webapps/archiv/public/books/bs/1201577654060565/?lang=en|title=Registries of the German University in Prague|website=is.cuni.cz}}</ref><ref name="history of CUNI">{{cite web|title=History of Charles University|url=http://www.cuni.cz/UKEN-106.html|website=cuni.cz|publisher=Charles University in Prague|access-date=23 March 2015}}</ref>

In 1921, the German-speaking Bohemians considered moving<ref>{{cite web | url = http://senat.cz/zajimavosti/tisky/1vo/tisky/T1174_00.htm | publisher = Senát Národního shromáždění | title = Zákon o přeložení sídla německé university v Praze | language = cs | date = 16 December 1921 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120719020502/http://senat.cz/zajimavosti/tisky/1vo/tisky/T1174_00.htm | archive-date = 19 July 2012}}</ref> their university to [[Liberec]] ({{langx|de|Reichenberg}}), in northern Bohemia. In 1930, about 42,000 inhabitants of Prague spoke German as their native language, while millions lived in northern, southern and western Bohemia, in [[Czech Silesia]] and parts of [[Moravia]] near the borders with Austria and Germany.

[[File:Pečeť Univerzity Karlovy v Praze.jpg|thumb|The insignia of the university; bone of contention between the universities]]
In October 1932, after Naegle's death, the Czechs started again a controversy over the insignia. Ethnic tensions intensified, although some professors of the German University were members of the Czechoslovak government. Any agreement to use the insignia for both the universities was rejected.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} On 21 November 1934, the German University had to hand over the ''insigniae'' to the Czechs. The German University senate sent a delegation to Minister of Education Krčmář to protest the writ. At noon on 24 November 1934, several thousand students of the Czech University protested in front of the German university building. The Czech rector [[Karel Domin]] gave a speech urging the crowd to attack, while the outnumbered German students tried to resist. Under the threat of violence, on 25 November 1934 rector {{ill|Otto Grosser|de|Otto Grosser}} (1873–1951) handed over the ''insigniae''. These troubles of 1934 harmed relations between the two universities and nationalities.

The tide turned in 1938 when, following the [[Munich Agreement]], German troops entered the border areas of Czechoslovakia (the so-called [[Sudetenland]]), as did Polish and Hungarian troops elsewhere. On 15 March 1939 Germans forced Czecho-Slovakia to split apart and the Czech lands were occupied by Nazis as the [[Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia]]. ''Reichsprotektor'' [[Konstantin von Neurath]] handed the historical ''insigniae'' to the German University, which was officially renamed ''Deutsche Karls-Universität in Prag''. On 1 September 1939 the German University was subordinated to the Reich Ministry of Education in Berlin and on 4 November 1939 it was proclaimed to be ''Reichsuniversität''.<ref>{{cite journal | url = http://vesmir.cz/clanky/clanek/id/3894 | journal = Vesmír | title = Německá lékařská fakulta v Praze (1883–1945) | language = cs | first = Ludmila | last = Hlaváčková | issue = 73 |date=December 1994}}</ref>

On 28 October 1939, during a demonstration, [[Jan Opletal]] was shot. His burial on 15 November 1939 became another demonstration.<ref>{{cite book | chapter-url = http://libri.cz/databaze/dejiny/text/t94.html | first = František | last = Čapka | title = Dějiny zemí Koruny české v datech | chapter = XI. Léta první i druhé republiky a protektorátu | language = cs | isbn = 978-80-85983-67-8 | url = http://www.libri.cz/databaze/dejiny/ | publisher = Libri | location = Prague | year = 1999 | access-date = 27 June 2009 | archive-date = 12 July 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140712045425/http://www.libri.cz/databaze/dejiny/ | url-status = dead}}</ref> On 17 November 1939 (now marked as [[International Students' Day]]) the Czech University and all other Czech institutions of higher learning were closed, remaining closed until the end of the War. Nine student leaders were executed and about 1,200 Czech students were interned in [[Sachsenhausen concentration camp|Sachsenhausen]] and not released until 1943. About 20<ref>{{cite journal | url = http://www.cuni.cz/IFORUM-2430.html | journal = IForum | issn = 1214-5726 | publisher = Charles University | title = 17. listopad 1939 je opředen mýty, říká historik Petr Koura | first = Petr | last = Svoboda | year = 2005 | language = cs}}</ref> or 35<ref>{{cite journal | url = http://www.parazitologie.cz/zpravy/10-4/cl-10.html | publisher = Česká Parazitologická Společnost | journal = Zprávy ČPS | issue = 4/10 | date = December 2002 | title = 17. listopad 1939 | first = Josef | last = Chalupský | language = cs | access-date = 2008-03-08 | archive-date = 2021-05-15 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210515232220/http://www.parazitologie.cz/zpravy/10-4/cl-10.html | url-status = dead}}</ref> interned students died in the camp. On 8 May 1940 the Czech University was officially renamed '''Czech Charles University''' ({{langx|cs|Česká universita Karlova}}) by government regulation 188/1940 Coll.

[[ File: Insignien der Karls-Universität (detail).tif |thumb|Detail of the stolen insignia of Charles University. From left: Sceptre of the Faculty of Theology, the Faculty of Law, the sceptre of the Rector, the sceptre of the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Philosophy.]]

World War II marks the end of the coexistence of the two universities in Prague. In 1945 the insignia of the university (the rector's chain, the scepters of the individual faculties, the university seal and also the founding documents and other historical documents) were stolen by the Nazis. None of these historical objects have been found to this day.