Medical University of Innsbruck facts for kids
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Medizinische Universität Innsbruck
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| Type | Public |
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| Established | 2004 |
| Endowment | €260 million |
| President | W. Wolfgang Fleischhacker |
| Students | ca. 3,800 |
| Location | , |
| Website | www.i-med.ac.at |
The Medical University of Innsbruck (in German: Medizinische Universität Innsbruck) is a public university in the city of Innsbruck, Austria. It is a special school where students train to become doctors and medical researchers.
The university officially became its own independent school in 2004. Before that, it was the medical department of a much older university, the Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck. Today, about 3,800 students study here. It is a very important place for medical training and research in western Austria.
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A Long History of Healing
The tradition of medicine in this part of Austria goes back hundreds of years. A hospital was first built in the nearby town of Schwaz way back in 1307. When the first university in Innsbruck was started in 1669 by Emperor Leopold I, it included a department for teaching medicine right from the beginning.
In 2002, the Austrian government decided that the medical department should become its own university. This new school, the Medical University of Innsbruck, is now a top choice for students from the regions of Tyrol, South Tyrol, and Vorarlberg who want to study medicine.
Special Ceremonial Objects
Like many old universities, the Medical University of Innsbruck has special objects used for important ceremonies. These objects, called ceremonial equipment, show the university's long and interesting history.
The Ceremonial Mace
One of the most important objects is a ceremonial mace. A mace is a decorated staff that is a symbol of a university's authority and history. The mace used by the Medical University of Innsbruck is very old and has a fascinating story.
It originally belonged to the University of Olomouc (in what is now the Czech Republic). In the 1850s, the Olomouc university was closed, and its ceremonial items were moved to the University of Innsbruck. The mace was first given to the University of Olomouc around the year 1588 by a bishop named Stanislav Pavlovský.
This beautiful mace is made of silver with gold plating and is 163 centimeters tall. It has special engravings on it, including the letters S. P. E. O., which stand for the bishop's name in Latin.
Nobel Prize Winners
Three scientists who worked at the university have won the famous Nobel Prize for their amazing discoveries in chemistry.
- Fritz Pregl (1923): He won the prize for developing a new way to study tiny amounts of chemical substances. This helped scientists make big discoveries with very small samples.
- Adolf Windhaus (1928): He was awarded the prize for his research on sterols, which are important natural substances in our bodies, and for figuring out how they are connected to vitamins.
- Hans Fischer (1930): He won the prize for his work on haemin, a key part of hemoglobin, the substance in our red blood cells that carries oxygen.
External links
- Medical University of Innsbruck
- University of Innsbruck
- Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Tirol
- Study in Austria: A Guide
See also
In Spanish: Universidad Médica de Innsbruck para niños
