The Seal of Trier University dates from the year 1473 and shows on the upper side the both bishops Ambrosius and Augustinus and between them the apostle Paulus, often chosen as teaching apostle by many universities. "he University of Trier is one of Rhineland-Palatinate's oldest and – at the same time – youngest universities. A University of Trier was first founded in 1473, but like other German universities located west of the Rhine it was closed by Napoleon in 1798. Trier, Germany's oldest city, can today call itself a university town again, however. In 1970, a new university was founded in Trier – initially, until 1975, with the University of Kaiserslautern as a twin institution. Since then, Trier has been developing into a major academic centre in a region characterized by its proximity to Belgium, France and Luxembourg. "