Ludwig Wittgenstein spent a significant part of his life in Cambridge, though his relationship with the place was characterised by ambivalence. On the one hand, the environment provided him with the space to develop intellectually; on the other, he often found the, in his view, rigid and formal academic atmosphere off-putting. He was early recognised and supported as an exceptional talent by thinkers such as Russell and Moore. Nevertheless, the academic world remained alien to him and seemed remote. Even following his appointment as Professor in 1939, his attitude towards the university remained reserved. Yet Cambridge was the setting in which he forged his most important philosophical relationships and brought his ideas to decisive maturity.

Wittgenstein first visited Cambridge in 1911 at the age of 22 and passed away there in 1951 at the age of 62.