Tübingen – The Morgenstelle refectory is celebrating its 50th anniversary this autumn.

On 2 October 1975, it was ceremoniously handed over by the city of Tübingen to the then Tübingen Student Services Organisation – since then, it has catered for generations of students, teachers and staff and quickly developed into a central meeting place on the Berg Campus.

With 1,150 seats in the large dining room and another 250 seats in the buffet hall, the canteen was originally designed to serve up to 6,000 meals a day. In the early years, an average of 2,000 regular meals and 700 buffet meals were served per day, with another 200 meals added in the evening. An in-house butcher’s shop with four butchers produced sausage products, two confectioners provided guests with cakes and pastries, and a large potato store with a conveyor system held up to 1,000 hundredweight. On 13 October 1975, the first dishes were on the menu – including gypsy schnitzel with spaetzle and salad, as well as an inexpensive pea stew.

But from the very beginning, the cafeteria was more than just a place to eat: over the decades, its two floors hosted dance balls, Turkish weddings and flea markets. Concerts also shaped the history of the cafeteria. Performances by ELO, Barclay James Harvest, Nina Hagen, The Cure, Hannes Wader, Konstantin Wecker and many other artists made the cafeteria famous far beyond the university.

Anniversary week with retro meals

To mark its 50th anniversary, the Tübingen-Hohenheim Student Services Association is inviting all students, university staff and guests to celebrate from 21 to 23 October 2025. From Tuesday to Thursday, a special dish from the 1970s will be offered at a price of €2.85 for students and €6.85 for university staff and guests.

‘Congratulations to the entire team at the Morgenstelle cafeteria! Many colleagues have been part of the institution for decades – your commitment and experience have made the cafeteria what it is today,’ congratulates Edith Hein, Managing Director of the Tübingen-Hohenheim Student Services Association. ‘The cafeteria is an indispensable meeting place at Morgenstelle: it provides daily meals and creates spaces for people to meet, especially since there are no bakeries, butchers or bistros in the immediate vicinity. This anniversary is a thank you to everyone who ensures that the campus on the hill remains lively.’