University of Vienna facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
University of Vienna

Universität Wien
Latin: Universitas Vindobonensis
Former name	Alma Mater Rudolphina Vindobonensis
Type	Public
Established	1365; 660 years ago (1365)
Budget	€691.5 million (2021)
Rector	Sebastian Schütze
Academic staff	7,538
Administrative staff	3,043
Total staff	10,381
Students	88,900 (2021)
Postgraduates	16,490
Doctoral students	8,945
Location	Vienna, Austria 48°12′47″N 16°21′35″E / 48.21306°N 16.35972°E / 48.21306; 16.35972
Campus	Urban
Colors	Blue and white
Affiliations	Campus Europae EUA Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities UNICA

The University of Vienna (German: Universität Wien) is a big public research university in Vienna, Austria. It was started by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365. This makes it the oldest university in the parts of the world where German is spoken today. It is also one of the largest universities in Europe. Many famous thinkers and 16 Nobel Prize winners have been connected to this university.

History of the University

An old announcement from the university before the school year in 1578

From Old Times to the Enlightenment

The University of Vienna was founded on March 12, 1365. It was named "Alma Mater Rudolphina" after its founder, Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria. It is the third oldest university in Central Europe. Only Charles University in Prague and Jagiellonian University in Kraków are older. It is the oldest in the modern German-speaking world.

At first, the Pope did not fully approve the university, especially its theology department. This was because another emperor, Charles IV, didn't want it to compete with his university in Prague. But in 1384, the Pope finally gave his full approval. The first university building opened in 1385. It grew to be the largest university in the Holy Roman Empire. By the mid-1400s, it had over 6,000 students.

In its early days, the university had a special structure. The Rector was in charge. Teachers (called Magisters and Doctors) elected the leaders. Students were grouped into four "Academic Nations." These groups also helped choose the Rector.

The beautiful courtyard (Arkadenhof) of the main university building. It was built between 1877 and 1884.

The university faced problems during the Reformation (a big religious change). Also, diseases and the first Siege of Vienna by the Ottoman army caused student numbers to drop. Emperor Ferdinand I decided to connect the university more closely to the church. In 1551, he brought in the Jesuit Order. Over time, the Jesuits gained a lot of influence.

However, in the mid-1700s, Empress Maria Theresa changed things. She made sure the university was controlled by the monarchy, not the Jesuits. The university then focused on training doctors and government workers. Her son, Joseph II, continued these changes. He made the university more open. By 1782, Protestants and Jews could join. In 1783, German became the main language for teaching.

Modern Times

Students protesting at the University of Vienna around 1938.

Big changes happened after the Revolution in 1848. The Philosophy department became as important as Theology, Law, and Medicine. The university gained more academic freedom. The main building you see today on the Ringstraße was built from 1877 to 1884. It was designed by Heinrich von Ferstel.

Women were first allowed to study fully in 1897, but only in Philosophy. Other departments slowly followed: Medicine in 1900, Law in 1919, Protestant Theology in 1923, and Catholic Theology in 1946. Elise Richter became the first woman professor in 1907.

In the late 1920s, the university faced challenges due to political unrest. After Austria was taken over by the Nazi regime in 1938, many teachers and students were forced to leave because of their political views or background. After World War II, in April 1945, Kurt Schubert, a young scholar, was allowed to reopen the university for teaching.

In 1975, students and staff gained more say in how the university was run. However, later reforms in 1993 and 2002 gave more power back to the full professors. In 2002, the university also became fully independent from government control after more than 250 years. The number of departments grew to 18. The medical faculty became a separate school, the Medical University of Vienna.

University Campus

The main university building

The main building around the 1950s

The University of Vienna does not have just one campus. It started in the First District near the Jesuit Church. Now, its buildings are spread out in over sixty different places across Vienna. The main historical building on the Ringstraße is still the heart of the university. Most other large university buildings and lecture halls are nearby. These include the new Lecture Hall Complex (NIG) and the campus at the old General Hospital. The Botanical Garden of the University of Vienna is in the Third District.

The Vienna Observatory also belongs to the university. The Institute for University Sports (USI) offers sports activities for all students. The university also has research and experimental centers outside Vienna, in other parts of Austria. These are mainly for Biology, Astrophysics, and Sports.

University Library

The large reading room in the main university library

Entrance to the large reading room

The University Library of Vienna includes the Main Library and 50 smaller libraries in different university buildings. The library mainly serves university members. However, its 350 staff members also help the public use the library. Anyone can read books in the reading halls without needing ID. You only need ID to check out books. The library's website lets you find electronic journals, online guides, and databases.

Library History

When the university was founded in 1365, Rudolf IV planned for a "public library." This library would collect valuable books left by university members who had passed away. Many gifts helped this collection grow. This became the old "Libreye," located in the same building as the student hospital. There were also libraries in different departments and colleges.

The Main Ceremonial Chamber (Festsaal) in the Main Building

From the 1600s, people became less interested in the old library's ancient books. A newer, more modern library in the Jesuit College became more popular. In 1756, the oldest university library closed. Its 2,787 books were moved to the Court Library.

After the Jesuit order was dissolved in 1773, a new "Academic Library" was created. It used book collections from five colleges and extra books from the Court Library. This new library opened on May 13, 1777. It started with about 45,000 books. When Emperor Joseph II closed many monasteries, the library gained even more books. Unlike older libraries, this new one was open to everyone.

Between 1827 and 1829, the library got a new building. In 1884, the main library, with about 300,000 books, moved to the new Main Building on the Ring. This building had space for 500,000 books. But with 30,000 new books added each year, the space quickly filled up. Book storage had to be expanded often. One hundred years later, the whole library system had over 4.3 million books. Today, it is the largest book collection in Austria.

Library Facts (2023)

• Number of books: 7,782,104 (2,936,580 are in the Main Library)
• Online journals: 155,072
• Online books: 1,808,095
• Searches in the online catalog: 11,349,382
• Books borrowed or renewed: 2,981,919
• Oldest book: A Bible from 1392 ("Biblia manuscripta")

How the University is Organized

The front of the main building

The University of Vienna, like other universities in Austria, used to have a system where students, junior teachers, and full professors all had equal say. They all sent representatives to boards to vote on almost everything.

But from 2002, the Austrian government changed the university system. Universities became more like independent organizations. Power was given more to the full professors. They also introduced a board of governors and tuition fees. In 2013, students from Austria and the European Union paid about €381 per semester. Students from some other countries paid double. The reforms also separated the medical departments into their own medical schools, like the Medical University of Vienna.

What You Can Study

The Faculty of Law building

Students at the university can choose from 181 different study programs. These include:

• 55 Bachelor's programs (first university degree)
• 110 Master's programs (advanced degree)
• 3 Diploma programs
• 13 Doctoral programs (highest degree)

In the 2013/14 school year, the university gave out 7,745 Bachelor's and Diploma degrees, 1,424 Master's degrees, and 568 Doctoral degrees. The university offers many Master's programs in English. These include topics like economics, environmental sciences, English language, and mathematics.

The Faculty of Mathematics building

About 6,900 scholars work at the university, teaching and doing research. Around 1,000 of them work on projects funded by outside groups. The university researches many subjects. These include theology, law, computer science, history, social sciences, psychology, life sciences, natural sciences, and teacher education.

Departments and Centers

The University of Vienna has 15 main departments (called Faculties) and 5 special centers:

• Faculty of Catholic Theology
• Faculty of Protestant Theology
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Business, Economics and Statistics
• Faculty of Computer science
• Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies
• Faculty of Philological and Cultural Studies
• Faculty of Philosophy and Education
• Faculty of Psychology
• Faculty of Social sciences
• Faculty of Mathematics
• Faculty of Physics
• Faculty of Chemistry
• Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy
• Faculty of Life sciences

• Centre for Translation studies
• Centre for Sport science and University Sports
• Centre for Molecular biology
• Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science
• Centre for Teacher Education

University's Reputation

The University of Vienna is known for its high rankings in Mathematics and in Arts and Humanities. In Mathematics, it is ranked among the top 30 universities in the world by the Shanghai-Ranking. In Arts and Humanities, it is ranked among the top 60 globally by the THE and QS ranking.

Some of its best subjects include Geography, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Law. The university is highly rated for its academic reputation and the number of international students it has.

Famous People from the University

Teachers and Scholars

Beautiful arcades in the main building's courtyard

Many famous people have taught at the University of Vienna. These include Nobel Prize winners like Erwin Schrödinger (Physics) and Friedrich Hayek (Economics).

The university was also where the Austrian School of economics began. Important thinkers from this school, like Carl Menger and Ludwig von Mises, studied and taught here.

Other well-known scholars who taught at the university include Sigmund Freud (the famous psychologist), Karl Popper (a philosopher), and Anton Bruckner (a composer).

Nobel Prize Winners

The grand staircase (Feststiege) in the Main Building

A total of 16 Nobel Prize winners have been connected to the University of Vienna:

Former Students

Many well-known people have studied at the University of Vienna. These include:

• Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis.
• Gustav Mahler, a famous composer.
• Gregor Mendel, known for his work on genetics.
• Huldrych Zwingli, an important figure in the Protestant Reformation.
• Lise Meitner, a physicist who helped discover nuclear fission.
• Kurt Waldheim, a former President of Austria and UN Secretary-General.

Images for kids

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  Huldrych Zwingli

• 

  Gregor Mendel

• 

  Sigmund Freud

• 

  Hans Kelsen

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  Gustav Mahler

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  Erwin Schrödinger

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  Friedrich Hayek

See also

In Spanish: Universidad de Viena para niños

• Education in Austria
• Klimt University of Vienna Ceiling Paintings
• Institute Vienna Circle
• List of medieval universities
• Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Menschenrechte
• Roman Sebastian Zängerle
• Vienna Observatory
• Francis Stephen Award
• List of Jesuit sites