Until 1977, this city was called Marburg an der Lahn, and the prefix was not removed for a long time to distinguish it from another Marburg an der Drave. This settlement is one of the oldest cities in Europe, founded in the 13th century. During World War II, Marburg avoided large-scale bombings, which allows us to virtually stroll through its streets and see the places where our famous compatriots Lomonosov and Pasternak stayed.

Young Mikhail Vasilyevich was sent to study at Marburg University by the Academy of Sciences. Along with him went Dmitry Vinogradov, the future founder of porcelain production in Russia. They arrived late, and by that time, all the more or less comfortable apartments were already occupied by students from other cities. They had to rent a room from the wife of a local brewer (modern address Wendelsgasse, 2), but it was only a 10-minute walk from the university. However, they rarely attended classes, as most lessons in physics, mechanics, and geometry were held at the apartment of their instructor Wolf. Both showed commendable results in their studies.

In their free time, they behaved quite extravagantly. Their mentor Christian Wolf was surprised at how Lomonosov and Vinogradov could spend their entire scholarship in one evening. Several times he even had to pay for their accommodation out of his own pocket. Gradually, they got used to life in Germany, began to dress in the local style, and Lomonosov, striving to match the image of a European student, hired dance and fencing teachers. In 1739, their studies came to an end, and it was time to leave, although neither of them wanted to. Moreover, Lomonosov managed to marry the landlady's daughter.

150 years later, Boris Pasternak entered Marburg University. He came here to study courses in ethics and logic. Unlike Lomonosov, the city left him with mixed impressions. Pasternak admired it as a city of the future, then sarcastically called it a village where 'feet are in the dew and frogs roar in the evenings,' and then looked at it as a 'medieval fairy tale.' Nevertheless, the ancient German town left him with vivid impressions.