An Historical Tour of the University of Vienna
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DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUILDINGS 1365-1784
During the great reform of Duke Albrecht III (1384) the University had acquired its first home - the Collegium Ducale (Duke's College) - facing the Dominican Monastery. (Today this is Postgasse 7-9). In the course of time other buildings were added, such as the "School of Lawyers" in Schulerstraße (1385), and the "House of Physicians" (1419) in Weihburggasse. The increasing shortage of space in the 15th Century forced the University to construct a representative new building - the "New School" (1423-25) - which extended the Duke's College as far as the Wollzeile. (Today, Bäckerstraße 13). In this building, which was partly uncovered in an archaeological excavation in 1998, there were a ceremonial Hall, two refectories, a library and lecture halls for each of the Faculties. In 1492 another house was purchased in the vicinity. This was used as a student infirmary and library (the Alte Libreye). Around the Duke's College student residences ("Halls" or "Societies") were established, so that very soon an impressive number of university buildings were scattered here at random, and until the 17th Century this was a characteristic of the University quarter near the Stubentor, with merchants, craftsmen, churches and monasteries all in the immediate vicinity.
In 1623 Emperor Ferdinand II handed over most of the teaching to the Jesuit order who, in turn, accepted the responsibility for constructing a new "Academic College" (also known as "Jesuit College"). By about 1650 there had grown up, on the site of the medieval Duke's College and various student's residences and other houses, the extensive early baroque development that is still known as the "Old University" and that has survived largely unaltered. Apart from the University Church dedicated to Sts. Ignatius and Francis Xavier, the complex included a large library, an observatory, a theatre, the Academic Grammar School, lecture halls, residences, shops and even a wine cellar. Nearby a separate administrative building was adapted as the seat of the Rector, and in this were accommodated a large Senate Chamber, the university Chancery led by the "Syndic", the Archive and the detention room (Sonnenfelsgasse 19).
In the time of Maria Theresia a further extensive new building was constructed in the style of a late baroque palace, the "New Aula" (1756), which has been the home of the Austrian Academy of Sciences since 1857. Finally, under Emperor Joseph II, the "General Hospital" was opened in 1784, and in this the various University clinics were gradually established. It became the centre and the starting point of the Vienna School of Medicine.
Lit.: Das Alte Universitätsviertel in Wien, 1385–1985, ed. Günther Hamann, Kurt Mühlberger, Franz Skacel (= Schriftenreihe des Universitätsarchivs, Universität Wien, 2. Band, Wien 1985); ¾ Kurt Mühlberger, Das Collegium Academicum Viennense. In: "schafft wissen". Lese-Buch, ed. Präsidium der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften (Wien 1997) 255-262; ¾ Universitätscampus Wien, Band 1-2, ed. Alfred Ebenbauer, Wolfgang Greisenegger, Kurt Mühlberger (Wien 1998).
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Collegium Ducale This richly decorated sheet comes from a manuscript of the Rationale divinorum officiorum of Guilhelmus Durandus. It depicts the university reform of Duke Albrecht III as a programme of artistic enhancement. Shown here: Albrecht III founds the Collegium Ducale, the first home of the University of Vienna. (Original in the Austrian National Library, Cod. 2765) |
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The Collegium Ducale near to the Dominican Monastery, 1609 This is a 'bird's-eye-view' of the Old University and the Duke's College in 1609 by Jacob Hoefnagel. This representation is part of a plan which is believed to provide the first relatively exact topographical view of the City of Vienna. In the centre we see the buildings of the Duke's College that go back to the foundation of Duke Albrecht III. To the left of these is the Gothic church of the Dominican monastery. The plan shows clearly the fabric of the medieval buildings. Subsequent restructuring in the baroque era brought about radical changes in the appearance of both the city and the old university quarter. (Original in the Vienna City and Regional Archives) |
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The Medieval University Buildings and Residences This plan shows the medieval layout of the district near the Stubentor, where the Halls and Societies (student residences) were situated around the Collegium Ducale. The University buildings are cross-hatched and the residences have dotted outlines. The numbering of the houses corresponds to that of the records of the district for 1566. (Original plan, drawn by Richard Perger and Friedmund Hueber, in the Archive of the University of Vienna) |
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University Square (Engraving by S. Kleiner, 1724) This most important forum in the university was both a communication centre and a court of law. (Today it corresponds to Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz.) In the center is the Jesuit Church, consecrated in 1631 to Sts. Ignatius and Francis Xavier. Its present appearance dates from a remodelling in 1703 by Andrea Pozzo. |
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The General Hospital in Vienna around 1784 On the site of the Alms and Veterans House on Alserstraße, the General Hospital was erected in 1783/4 on the order of Emperor Joseph II. It was modelled on the Central Infirmary in Paris, the Hôtel Dieu. The institution and the personnel of the General Hospital are closely linked from an historical point of view to the Vienna Faculty of Medicine. Here we find the origins of the renowned Vienna School of Medicine. (Photo in the Archive of the University of Vienna; original engraving by Joseph and Peter Schaffer, Department of the History of Medicine) |
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The "Anatomical Theatre" in Vienna, 1786 On the ground floor of the New Aula (today Academy of Sciences), constructed in the time of Maria Theresia, there was an "Anatomical Theatre" which was completely rebuilt in 1784. The resources for this were provided by Emperor Joseph II in gratitude for the cure of an eye complaint by the anatomist and ophthalmologist Josef Barth. The picture shows an amphitheatrical lecture hall with a table at the centre where bodies were dissected. Above is a portrait of Emperor Joseph II, and the banner beside it refers to his generous gift. In the foreground Pallas Athene holds a document with words: Hoc mortis causas inspecta cadavera monstrant. Hic inimica sibi mors vetat ipsa mori. (Original washed drawing by Josef Eisner in the Archive of the University of Vienna, Cod M 11, at fol. 45) |
