VIENNA, UmvEasiTv or. One of the oldest and most famous universities of Europe, founded by Duke Rudolph IV. in 1365. Under its first rector it maintained but a precarious existence. Duke Albert III. obtained in 1381 from Pope Urban VI. the right to add a theological faculty to the three secular ones. At the same time the university was divided into four nations, modeled after those of Paris. In 1623 Ferdinand II. transferred the university to the Jesuits, who erected a number of buildings, some of which still exist. liy the beginning of the reign of ,Maria Theresa it had lost what prestige it ac quired during the Humanistic awakening. van Swiet en, however, succeeded in rescuing the medical faculty from the general ruin, and it has since maintained an almost unrivaled posi tion in the European medical world. Joseph IF reorganized the university as o practical State institution and deprived it of academic• freedom. Reforms in 1848-50 introduced again the era of free academic life, and henceforth it regained its former renown. The magnificent new uni
versity building designed by the famous architect Ferstel was dedicated in 1884.
In 1902 the university consisted of the follow ing faculties: (1) Law and political science; (2) theology; (3) medicine; (4) philosophy. The attendance in 1902-03 was over 6000; including some forty women. The university departments include besides a large number of seminaries, museums, and laboratories in art and sciences, three medical clinics, two surgical clinics, two lying-in clinics, one each for diseases of women, skin diseases, children's diseases, etc. These elinies have attained a world-wide reputation, due to the eminent specialists conducting them. The university library, founded in 1775 by Alaria. Theresa, has received since 1808 a copy of every work printed in Louver Austria. It includes near ly 1100,000 volumes and 824 manuscripts. Notable also are the observatory, botanical garden, and Central Institute for experimenting in meteor ology and terrestrial magnetism.