Alte Universität, Timber-framed house in Eppingen, Germany.

The Alte Universität at Fleischgasse 2, corner of Altstadtstraße, is a three-storey building measuring 12 by 16.5 metres and 22.5 metres high, with a Krüppelwalm roof. Its sandstone ground floor, pierced by Gothic pointed-arch windows, carries two full storeys and two gable storeys of Alemannic timber framing that jut slightly over the street.

The massive sandstone ground floor with Gothic pointed-arch windows dates to the first half of the 15th century; the timber-framed upper storeys were added in the second half. A dated stone was read variously as 1417 to 1497, but dendrochronology shows the wood was felled in 1494/95, so 1495 is now accepted. A coat of arms stone recalls the Palatinate and the Freiherren von Gemmingen, who held Eppingen as a pledge from 1469 to about 1520.

The name "Alte Universität" recalls the University of Heidelberg's stay here from October 1564, when plague drove it to Eppingen; students returned to Heidelberg in spring 1565. The building was also called "Judenschule" because Eppingen's Jewish community likely held services here before the Alte Synagoge was built in 1772. Since 1959 the ground floor has housed a local history museum.

The building is located in the center of Eppingen and is easily accessible on foot. The best view of the facade and wooden details can be enjoyed from street level, where the entire structure is visible.

The name Alte Universität comes from the university's stay in 1564/65, not from any regular teaching use. The building was probably erected as a Gemmingen administrative cellar and later served as a Jewish prayer room, called Judenschule, before the Alte Synagoge was built in 1772.