University of Harderwijk

The university of Harderwijk was founded during the Dutch Republic by the States of Gelre at the end of the Eighty Years' War, in 1648.

In the time of Linnaeus, the 18th century Swedish biologist, a doctorate could not be obtained in Sweden, or in many other European countries.

The wealthy usually travelled to Leiden; the less fortunate could go to Harderwijk, where the doctorate was less expensive, and could be attained much faster.

In the 1990s, the university became more known to a new audience thanks to the fictional character Prof. Fetze Alsvanouds ("Als vanouds" loosely translated as "like the good old days"), who was played by Aart Staartjes and regularly appeared in the humorous Dutch children's television program Het Klokhuis.

Alsvanouds posed as a professor at the University of Harderwijk, and declaimed sundry false and often ridiculous 'scientific' explanations for common things in everyday life for children.