▁K ett wig ▁was ▁settled ▁to ▁D uis burg ▁and ▁was ▁named ▁Ped agog ical ▁University ▁Ru hr . ▁In ▁ 1 9 6 8 , ▁the ▁university ▁was ▁founded ▁again ▁in ▁D uis burg , ▁related ▁to ▁the ▁old ▁one , ▁bearing ▁the ▁name : ▁Com pre h ensive ▁University ▁of ▁D uis burg . ▁Initial ly ▁only ▁small , ▁the ▁university ▁was ▁developed ▁rapidly ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s ▁up ▁to ▁about ▁ 1 5 , 0 0 0 ▁students . ▁In ▁ 1 9 7 2 ▁the ▁Ped agog ical ▁University ▁Ru hr ▁and ▁the ▁Public ▁School ▁of ▁Engineering , ▁which ▁was ▁renamed ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 1 ▁to ▁University ▁of ▁applied ▁sciences ▁D uis burg . ▁Other ▁schools ▁were ▁also ▁re located ▁to ▁D uis burg . ▁The ▁University ▁of ▁D uis burg ▁was ▁then ▁called ▁Com pre h ensive ▁University ▁of ▁D uis burg . ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 4 ▁the ▁university ▁was ▁renamed ▁Ger hard ▁Mer c ator ▁University . ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 3 , ▁Ger hard ▁Mer c ator ▁University ▁merged ▁with ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Ess en ▁to ▁form ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁D uis burg - E ss en , ▁which ▁is ▁today ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁largest ▁univers ities ▁in ▁Germany ▁with ▁about ▁ 4 0 , 0 0 0 ▁students . ▁ ▁Rec ent ▁develop ments ▁ ▁In ▁March ▁ 2 0 0 7 ▁the ▁three ▁univers ities ▁of ▁Bo ch um , ▁Dort mund ▁and ▁D