coeducational institution of higher learning at Marburg, Ger. Marburg was the first Protestant university in Germany. It was founded in 1527 by Philip the Magnanimous of Hesse (Hessen) as a state institution for the support and dissemination of Lutheranism. It rapidly became famous and attracted students from many countries. After 1605, however, when the ruler of Hesse changed the university's formulary of faith from Lutheranism to Calvinism, the school's size greatly declined. The university is still financially supported by the state of Hesse.