• Map
    The city of Vienna and the University

    Map

    The interactive map offers an orientation in space. It shows the different buildings of the university through time. Besides the current city map, a historical map of the City of Vienna can be faded in (Franziszeischer Kataster 1829).
    Contents change according to the position of the time slider on the bottom of the map. Buildings, events and people of university history are located in today’s geographical surroundings, but you can also historical geographical changes in the City of Vienna.

    Read more

  • Main Topics

    Main Topics

    Split into seven main topics encompassing the 650 years of university history, you can find topics that include such subjects as the university’s deed of foundation, the 1848 revolution, denazification and open access to the university. A total of ...

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Welcome
650 plus – History of the
University of Vienna

Welcome to the website dedicated to the 650 years of University of Vienna history.

This history is presented through varied approaches via hypertextually connected content.

Topical access allows comprehensive insights with over 70 topics and articles in English.

Temporal and spatial references can be found on the interactive timeline and map.

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Current topic

In Memoriam Thomas Maisel (1959–2026)

We, the staff of the University of Vienna Archives, the editorial team of the website 650 plus – History of the University of Vienna, and the Forum “Contemporary History of the University of Vienna”, mourn with deep sorrow the loss of our longtime supervisor, colleague, and companion, Hofrat Mag. Thomas Maisel, MAS, who passed away far too soon on July 9, 2026. From 2010 to 2024, he led the University of Vienna Archives with passion, foresight, and historical awareness.

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Interested?

What you can find here

Main Topics

Split into seven main topics encompassing the 650 years of university history, you can find topics that include such subjects as the university’s deed of foundation, the 1848 revolution, denazification and open access to the university. A total of 24 topics with more than 41 articles in English containing detailed information offer a comprehensive overview of the history of the University of Vienna.

Breaks, crises and conflicts 14 Themen
University cultures 7 Themen
Organizational structures in historical transition 11 Themen
University locations 4 Themen
Science and study 13 Themen
Actors 6 Themen
Regional – Global 5 Themen

Topics overview

Seven main topics

Breaks, crises and conflicts 14 Themen
University cultures 7 Themen
Organizational structures in historical transition 11 Themen
University locations 4 Themen
Science and study 13 Themen
Actors 6 Themen
Regional – Global 5 Themen

Persons

Persons

Currently more than 3,400 individuals with particular importance to the university history of Vienna are gathered in this profile database. This database includes basic data about the individuals, their functions (e.g. rector) and honors, as well as a growing number of short biographies.

See also main topic Actors

to all persons

Images

Images

The display depot offers an image-oriented approach to the website’s contents.

You can research in it with the help of filter and search functions.

to the images

Buildings

Buildings

This category includes important historical and current university buildings with brief information on each building’s history.
These can be located on historic and current maps of Vienna and can be contextualized with the help of additional texts via links within the website.

to the buildings

Interactive approaches

Timeline

The timeline offers an orientation in time. It organizes the content of the website according to chronological aspects, thus providing an overview of the university’s history from the foundation in 1365 to the recent past. You can zoom in to different epochs in the header or with the slider on the bottom to journey through the past of the Alma Mater Rudolphina.

to the timeline

Map

The interactive map offers an orientation in space. It shows the different buildings of the university through time. Besides the current city map, a historical map of the City of Vienna can be faded in (Franziszeischer Kataster 1829).
Contents change according to the position of the time slider on the bottom of the map. Buildings, events and people of university history are located in today’s geographical surroundings, but you can also historical geographical changes in the City of Vienna.

to the map