Operating from 1778 to 1914, Heidelberg’s Studentenkarzer (Student Prison) on Augustinergasse housed university students for minor offenses like public drunkenness, rowdy singing, and dueling. Because Heidelberg University held independent legal jurisdiction, inmates served sentences from 24 hours to four weeks here—often turning their confinement into a rite of passage by covering the cell walls with elaborate soot graffiti, coats of arms, and poetry.