Viktor Schultze

Born in Fürstenberg on December 13, 1851, Victor Schultze studied theology and art history at Basel, Strasbourg, Jena, and Göttingen. He qualified as a lecturer in church history and Christian archaeology at the University of Leipzig in 1879, then went on to build his academic career at the University of Greifswald, where he later became a full professor.

Schultze is remembered as a church historian and one of the important early scholars of Christian archaeology. He wrote on the catacombs, early Christian monuments, and the history of Christian art, helping readers see how physical remains could deepen the study of the early church.

He remained closely associated with Greifswald for much of his professional life, became professor emeritus in 1926, and died there on January 6, 1937. His long career left a lasting mark on the study of early Christianity in Germany.