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Wilhelm was born on March 27, 1845 at the Lennep in the lower Rhine Province of Germany. At the age of three he and his family moved to Apeldoorn in the Netherlands where he attended the Institute of Martinus Herman van Doorn. As a child he was very fond of nature and enjoyed roaming in the open country and forest. In 1862 he entered a technical school at Utrecht, where he became more interested in mechanical science and also studied physics. In 1865, he entered the University of Utrecht to study physics. However, he lacked the credentials required for a regular student. His dreams of higher education were shattered. Fortunately, he learnt that the University of Polytechnic at Zurich acknowledged students without necessary credentials. The only prerequisite was to pass the entrance examination. Roentgen applied for admission and upon examination of his documents and letters, the examination was waived. He regularly attended the lectures imparted by Clausis (one of his professors)