The University of Innsbruck (german: Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck; la, Universitas Leopoldino Franciscea) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n federal state of

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

, founded on October 15, 1669. It is the largest education facility in the Austrian Bundesland of

Tirol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

, and the third largest in Austria behind Vienna University and the

University of Graz The University of Graz (german: link=no, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, ), located in Graz, Austria, is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria. History The univers ...

. Significant contributions have been made in many branches, most of all in the physics department. Further, regarding the number of '' Web of Science''-listed publications, it occupies the third rank worldwide in the area of mountain research. In the Handelsblatt Ranking 2015, the business administration faculty ranks among the 15 best business administration faculties in German-speaking countries.

History

In 1562, a Jesuit grammar school was established in Innsbruck by

Peter Canisius Peter Canisius ( nl, Pieter Kanis; 8 May 1521 – 21 December 1597) was a Dutch Jesuit Catholic priest. He became known for his strong support for the Catholic faith during the Protestant Reformation in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Swit ...

, today called " Akademisches Gymnasium Innsbruck". It was financed by the salt mines in Hall in Tirol, and was re-chartered as a university on October 15, 1669, by Leopold I with four faculties. In 1782 this was reduced to a mere

lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the t ...

(as were all other universities in the Austrian Empire, apart from

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...

), but it was reestablished as the University of Innsbruck in 1826 by Emperor Franz I. The university is therefore named after both of its founding fathers with the official title "Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck" (''Universitas Leopoldino-Franciscea''). During the National Socialist era, the university was renamed the "Deutsche Alpenuniversität" in March 1941 at the suggestion of the then Rector Raimund von Klebelsberg. As at all universities, "Säuberungsaktionen" took place: Opponents of the National Socialists were deprived of their powers and excluded from academic life. In 1945, after the end of World War II, it was reopened under the name "University of Innsbruck". The second half of the 20th century brought further expansion of the university: in 1969 the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture and in 1976 the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, which emerged from the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences. In 2004, the Faculty of Medicine was spun off, and in 2012 the School of Education was established, which was later renamed the Faculty of Teacher Education. In 1991, Lauda Air Flight 004 crashed in Thailand, killing all aboard, including 21 members of the University of Innsbruck. The passengers included professor and economist

Clemens August Andreae Clemens August Andreae (1929 – 26 May 1991) was an Austrian economist who served as a professor of political economics and the dean of law and political sciences for the University of Innsbruck. He wrote a book called ''Der größere Markt – Wi ...

, another professor, six assistants, and 13 students. Andreae had often led field visits to

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

.Im Gedenken an den Flugzeugabsturz 1991
"
Archive
University of Innsbruck. Retrieved on 15 February 2013. "223 Menschen, darunter 21 Angehörige der Universität Innsbruck, kamen beim Absturz der Boeing 767, die am 26. Mai 1991 nach einem Zwischenstopp von Bangkok Richtung Wien gestartet war, ums Leben. Neben dem bekannten Wirtschaftswissenschaftler Prof. Clemens August Andreae, der die finanzwissenschaftliche Exkursion nach Hongkong geleitet hatte, waren ein weiterer Professor, sechs Assistentinnen und Assistenten und 13 Studierende an Bord des Unglücksfliegers, der aufgrund einer defekten Schubumkehr nur 15 Minuten nach dem Abflug in den Thailändischen Dschungel stürzte." Hauptgebaeude uni innsbruck

In 2005, copies of letters written by the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

s Frederick II and

Conrad IV Conrad (25 April 1228 – 21 May 1254), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was the only son of Emperor Frederick II from his second marriage with Queen Isabella II of Jerusalem. He inherited the title of King of Jerusalem (as Conrad II) up ...

were found in the university's library. They arrived in Innsbruck in the 18th century, having left the charterhouse Allerengelberg in

Schnals Schnals (; it, Senales ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the autonomous province of South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northwest of the city of Bolzano, on the border with Austria. The municipality includes large parts of the Schnalst ...

due to its abolishment. In October 2021, a controversy arose about a ''Peace Studies'' course. As a result, the university management declared that, despite the name Master's program, it was not a regular master program, but an extraordinary course on peace, development, security and international conflict transformation. Since 2022, a regular master's program in ''Peace and Conflict studies'' is taught at the university.Master's Programme Peace and Conflict Studies
Retrieved on 30 November 2022

Ceremonial Equipment

In the 1850s, the Habsburgs gradually closed the

University of Olomouc A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

as a consequence of the Olomouc students' and professors' participation in the

1848 revolutions The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europe ...

and the

Czech National Revival The Czech National Revival was a cultural movement which took place in the Czech lands during the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of this movement was to revive the Czech language, culture and national identity. The most prominent figures o ...

. The ceremonial equipment of the University of Olomouc was then transferred to the University of Innsbruck. The original Olomouc ceremonial maces from the 1580s are now used as the maces of Innsbruck University and Innsbruck Medical University. Olomouc University Rector's mace from ca. 1572 is nowadays used as the mace of the Innsbruck Faculty of Theology and Olomouc Faculty of Law Dean's Mace from 1833 is nowadays used as Innsbruck's Faculty of Law Mace. Since the establishment of Czechoslovakia in 1918, the Czechs have been unsuccessfully requesting the return of the University of Olomouc's original ceremonial equipment. Many years later, in 1998, Innsbruck donated an exact copy of the rector's mace to Palacký University, but it is still, in 2015, using the Olomouc University original maces and other

regalia Regalia is a Latin plurale tantum word that has different definitions. In one rare definition, it refers to the exclusive privileges of a sovereign. The word originally referred to the elaborate formal dress and dress accessories of a sovereig ...

as its own ceremonial equipment.

The faculties

The new plan of organisation (having become effective on October 1, 2004) installed the following 16 faculties to replace the previously existing six faculties: *Faculty of

Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, *Faculty of

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

, *Faculty of Catholic Theology, *Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, *Faculty of

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

and Statistics, *Faculty of

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

, *Faculty of Technical Sciences (formerly Faculty of Engineering Science and before that Faculty of Civil Engineering), *Faculty of

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

and Atmospheric Sciences, *Faculty of Humanities 1 ( Philosophy and

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

), *Faculty of Humanities 2 (

Language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

and

Literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

), *Faculty of

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

, *Faculty of Mathematics,

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includi ...

and

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

, *Faculty of

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

and

Sports science Sports science is a discipline that studies how the healthy human body works during exercise, and how sport and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body perspectives. The study of sports science traditionally inc ...

, *School of Political Sciences and

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

, *School of

Management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a Government agency, government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includ ...

, *School of

(teacher training). As of 1 January 2004, the Faculty of Medicine was sectioned off from the main university to become a university in its own right. This is now called the Innsbruck Medical University (Medizinische Universität Innsbruck). The inter-disciplinary unit called th
Digital Science Center
(DiSC) was founded in 2019 to integrate and promote digitalisation of scientific research as well as to support high-quality science.

Buildings

The university buildings are spread across the city and there is no university campus as such. The most important locations are: *Theology faculty was opened 1562 as a Jesuit School in 1766 and the university used buildings from the Jesuit church in ''the Leopoldsaal'' (the original university). *In 1924, main building and the university library opened. *1969 the scientific faculty and the construction faculty in Hotting west was opened. *1976 construction began on "Geiwi tower" for the former Philosophy faculty, an addition to the main building. *1997 The Social Science faculty (built in the former Fenner barracks) was opened. *2012 Center of Chemistry and Biomedicine was opened. *Several university clinics of the medical university in the area became ''Tyrolian national hospitals''. Hauptgebaeude der uni innsbruck.jpg, Hauptgebäude Im hauptgebaeude der uni innsbruck.jpg, Im Hauptgebäude Universitaets und landesbibliothek tirol.jpg, Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Ccb innsbruck.JPG, Das Centrum für Chemie und Biomedizin (CCB) Atrium langer weg innsbruck.JPG, Das Zentrum für Alte Kulturen Campus universitaetsstrasse innsbruck.JPG, Die Sowi Innsbruck, Theologische Fakultät, Westteil.JPG, Theologische Fakultät Lesesaal ULB-Tirol.JPG, Lesesaal in der Universitätsbibliothek Innsbruck-Botanik-Verwalterhaus.JPG, Im Botanischen Garten

Points of interest

* Alpengarten Patscherkofel, the university's alpine garden atop

Patscherkofel Patscherkofel is a mountain and ski area in the Alps, in state of Tyrol, Tyrol in western Austria, 7 km (4 mi.) south of Innsbruck. The peak rises to a summit elevation of Height above mean sea level, above sea level. The town of Igls a ...

* Botanischer Garten der Universität Innsbruck, the university's

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

Nobel laureates

Anton Zeilinger Anton Zeilinger (; born 20 May 1945) is an Austrian quantum physicist and Nobel laureate in physics of 2022. Zeilinger is professor of physics emeritus at the University of Vienna and senior scientist at the Institute for Quantum Optics and ...

(Physik 2022) * Victor Franz Hess (Physik 1936) *

Hans Fischer Hans Fischer (; 27 July 1881 – 31 March 1945) was a German organic chemist and the recipient of the 1930 Nobel Prize for Chemistry "for his researches into the constitution of haemin and chlorophyll and especially for his synthesis of ha ...

(Chemie 1930) *

Adolf Windaus Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus (; 25 December 1876 – 9 June 1959) was a German chemist who won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1928 for his work on sterols and their relation to vitamins. He was the doctoral advisor of Adolf Butenandt who also won ...

(Chemie 1928) *

Fritz Pregl Fritz Pregl ( sl, Friderik Pregl; 3 September 1869 – 13 December 1930), was a Slovenian-Austrian chemist and physician from a mixed Slovene-German-speaking background. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1923 for making important contribut ...

(Chemie 1923) Fritz Pregl.jpg,

Windaus.jpg,

Hans Fischer (Nobel).jpg,

Hess.jpg, Victor Franz Hess A. Zeilinger (cropped).jpg,

Notable faculty

, professor and economist *

Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk Eugen Ritter von Böhm-Bawerk (; born Eugen Böhm, 12 February 185127 August 1914) was an Austrian economist who made important contributions to the development of the Austrian School of Economics and neoclassical economics. He served intermittent ...

, economist * Wilhelm Ehmann, musicologist *

Karl Rahner Karl Rahner (5 March 1904 – 30 March 1984) was a German Jesuit priest and theologian who, alongside Henri de Lubac, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Yves Congar, is considered to be one of the most influential Roman Catholic theologians of ...

, theologian *

Anton Pelinka Anton Pelinka (born October 14, 1941) is a professor of political science and nationalism studies at the English-speaking Central European University of Budapest. Prior to this appointment, Pelinka was a professor of political science at the Univ ...

, professor of political science * Leopold Vietoris, mathematician and oldest verified Austrian man. *

, physicist * Peter Zoller, physicist

Notable alumni

* James Demske, S.J., president of Canisius College (1966–1993) * Andreas Benedict Feilmoser, theologian *

Walter Guggenberger Walter Guggenberger (born 23 August 1947 in Landeck) is an Austrian civil servant and politician (SPÖ). From 1983 to 1999, Guggenberger was a member of the National Council of Austria. Guggenberger attended the elementary school from 1953 to 19 ...

, Austrian civil servant and politician *

Maria Luise Thurmair Maria Luise Thurmair née Mumelter (27 September 1912 – 24 October 2005) was a German Catholic theologian, hymnodist and writer. She contributed the lyrics of many hymns when the Catholic hymnal ''Gotteslob'' was first published in 1975. Care ...

, hymnwriter *

Alexander van der Bellen Alexander Van der Bellen (; born 18 January 1944) is the current president of Austria. He previously served as a professor of economics at the University of Vienna, and after joining politics, as the spokesman of the Austrian Green Party. Va ...

, president of Austria *

Herbert Willi Herbert Willi (born ) is an Austrian composer of classical music, whose orchestral works, concertos and chamber music have been performed internationally and also recorded. Willi composed an opera, ''Schlafes Bruder'', for the Opernhaus Zürich. ...

(born 1956) composer *

Armin Wolf Armin Wolf (; born 19 August 1966) is an Austrian journalist and television anchor. In 2017 ''Politico Europe'' called him "one of Europe’s most skilled (and feared) political journalists". He was named "European Journalist of the Year 2019" at ...

, journalist *

Matthias Strolz Matthias Strolz (born 10 June 1973) is an Austrian politician. He is the founder of the political party NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum and was its first leader and a member of Austria's National Council from 29 October 2013 until 26 ...

, founder and first chairman of the political party NEO

Victims of political persecution and terror

* Ludwig Wahrmund was professor of

Canon Law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

in 1908 who was ousted from his post following critical remarks about the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

's interference in academic freedom. * Christoph Probst (born 6 November 1919 in

Murnau am Staffelsee Murnau am Staffelsee is a market town in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region of Bavaria, Germany. The market originated in the 12th century around Murnau Castle. Murnau is on the edge of the Bavarian Alps, about sou ...

: executed 22 February 1943 in Munich) was a student of medicine and a member of the

White Rose The White Rose (german: Weiße Rose, ) was a Nonviolence, non-violent, intellectual German resistance to Nazism, resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students (and one professor) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, ...

(Weiße Rose) resistance group. * Ignacio Ellacuría, S.J. (Portugalete, Biscay, Spain, 9 November 1930 – San Salvador, 16 November 1989) was a Roman Catholic Jesuit priest, philosopher, and theologian. Ignacio Ellacuría was a close friend and colleague of the scholars Ignacio Martín-Baró and Segundo Montes, all of whom were assassinated with Ellacuría by the Salvadoran army, along with three colleagues and two employees. He earned his master's degree at Innsbruck University. *

Segundo Montes Segundo Montes (May 15, 1933 in Valladolid, Spain – November 16, 1989 in San Salvador, El Salvador) was a scholar, philosopher, educator, sociologist and Jesuit priest. He was one of the victims of the 1989 murders of Jesuits in El Salvador. ...

, S.J. (Valladolid, Spain, 15 May 1933 – San Salvador, El Salvador, 16 November 1989) was a scholar, philosopher, educator, sociologist and Jesuit priest. Segundo Montes was a close friend and colleague of the scholars Ignacio Martín-Baró and Ignacio Ellacuría, all of whom were murdered with Montes by the Salvadoran army, along with three other colleagues and two other employees. He earned his master's degree at Innsbruck. * Kurt von Schuschnigg (1897–1977) was Austria chancellor and was imprisoned until 1945 after the anschluss (1938).

External links

University of InnsbruckInnsbruck Medical UniversityUniversitäts- und Landesbibliothek Tirol
@

The Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Innsbruck, University of

University of Innsbruck The University of Innsbruck (german: Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck; la, Universitas Leopoldino Franciscea) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. ...

Universities and colleges in Austria 1669 establishments in Austria Educational institutions established in the 1660s Education in Tyrol (state)