University locations

The buildings of the University of Vienna and their history

The university’s accommodations were already considered at its foundation in 1365: A whole neighborhood inside the city walls, called “Pfaffenstadt” (priest city) was reserved for the university. This ambitious plan could not be realized, however. With the Duke’s College (collegium ducale), the university received its own building inside the city as late as 1385. It was located near the Stubentor, where partially newly built, partially purchased buildings were soon added. In the 17th century the Society of Jesus replaced it with a completely new, large university complex: the Academic College. It still exists today and is now known as the “Old University”. Until the middle of the 19th century this was the home of the University of Vienna. The educational reforms brought about by the revolution of 1848 and the boom that followed made new accommodations necessary. The new Main Building on the Ringstraße as a “Palace of Science”, built in the style of the neo-Renaissance and inaugurated in 1884, represented the university’s increased importance. Even then it was no longer possible to incorporate all university institutions under one roof. Today, the University of Vienna’s scientific facilities are spread out over more than 60 locations.

Thomas Maisel