Europa-Universität Viadrina | |
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| Latin:Alma Mater Viadrina | |
| Motto | Ex oriente lux |
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Motto in English | Light from the east |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1506, closed 1811, refounded 1991 |
| President | Eduard Mühle |
Academic staff | 579[1] |
| Students | 6,647[1] |
| Location | ,, Germany 52°20′32″N14°33′14″E / 52.34222°N 14.55389°E /52.34222; 14.55389 |
| Campus | Urban, several locations |
| Website | www.europa-uni.de |
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European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) (German:Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)) is a university located atFrankfurt (Oder) in Brandenburg, Germany. It is also known as theUniversity of Frankfurt (Oder). The city is on theOder River, which marks the border between Germany andPoland. With 5,200 students — around 1,000 of whom come from Poland — and some 160 teaching staff, the Viadrina is one of Germany's smallest universities (only theUniversity of Erfurt andJacobs University Bremen have fewer students).
TheLatin wordViadrina means "belonging to, or situated at, the Oder River"; it derives fromViadrus, the name of a presumed river god of the Oder. Actually, anancient name of the river is not documented, it is mentioned asOddera in the 991Dagome iudex referring to the realm of PrinceMieszko I of Poland. The Latin name was probably introduced by the Frankfurt scholarJodocus Willich (c.1486–1552) and appeared in theCosmographia bySebastian Münster in 1544; the city of Frankfurt was known in Latin asFrancofortum ad Viadrum.
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TheAlma Mater Viadrina was founded on 26 April 1506 by ElectorJoachim I Nestor, with permission fromPope Julius II, as the first principal university of theMargraviate of Brandenburg. The foundation stone was laid already in 1498 at the site of a demolished synagogue; a foundation charter was issued byPope Alexander VI in the same year. The notable theologianKonrad Wimpina (c.1465–1531) became foundingprorector. Construction of the main building (Collegienhaus) was completed in 1507.
The university was organized into fourFaculties of Arts: law, theology, philosophy, and medicine. Within the first year, more than 900 students from all over Germany, Poland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark enrolled. TheViadrina enjoyed an excellent reputation in Brandenburg and the surrounding regions, and its graduates had high positions in administration, politics, law and the church.
One of its earliest chancellors, BishopGeorg von Blumenthal (1490–1550) was a vigorous opponent of theProtestant Reformation and did his utmost to expelLutherans such asJodocus Willich. (In 2018 his brother's direct descendantJulia von Blumenthal was named president of the refounded Viadrina.) In 1518Johann Tetzel (1465–1519) obtained his doctorate at Frankfurt. Nevertheless, the university, like itsPrussian counterpart, theUniversity of Königsberg established in 1544, turned toLutheran orthodoxy. A professor popular among students,Erdmann Copernicus, was promoted to head of university in 1573, but died in the same year.
After the rulingHouse of Hohenzollern had converted toCalvinism, the 'Great Elector'Frederick William and his governor PrinceJohn Maurice of Nassau-Siegen in 1655 founded theUniversity of Duisburg, aReformed college in theDuchy of Cleves.
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Frederick William also opened the Frankfurt University forJewish students, against fierce resistance by the teaching staff. While damages of theThirty Years' War still had to be repaired, he had abotanical garden laid out next to the university premises. Ananatomical theatre was built in 1684 at the behest of physicianBernhardus Albinus (1653–1721). The complete renovation was accomplished in 1693/94.
In 1736 the eminent juristJohann Jakob Moser was called to head the Faculty of Law at the university, but had to leave after three years due to his thoroughlyLiberal ideas which were disliked by thePrussian kingFrederick William I.
In the course of thePrussian Reforms during theNapoleonic Wars, the University of Frankfurt was moved toBreslau (present-day Wrocław, Poland) in 1811. It merged with theUniversity of Breslau, theLeopoldina established in 1702 by theHabsburg emperorLeopold I, in order to be competitive with the newly foundedUniversity of Berlin. The merger included the transfer of the comprehensive library stocks, then with more than 28,000 volumes the second-largest in Prussia after theKönigsberg State and University Library collection, up the Oder river by boat. Some of the Viadrina professors did, however, accept positions in Berlin.
The old university building was taken over by the City of Frankfurt and turned into a schoolhouse. It was barely damaged inWorld War II and first used as a home for refugees from theformer eastern territories. Afterwards the building stood empty until it was controversially demolished in the early 1960s. Only the arch of the main entrance has been preserved as a monument.
Famous students at the historical Viadrina included the philosopherUlrich von Hutten (1488–1523) and the theologian and political leaderThomas Müntzer (c. 1489–1525), the musicianCarl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–1788), the physiciansMarcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799) andJohann Gottlieb Walter (1734–1818),Wilhelm (1767–1836) andAlexander von Humboldt (1769–1859), as well as the poetHeinrich von Kleist (1777–1811). Among the notable university prorectors was DukeHenry Wenceslaus of Oels-Bernstadt (1592–1639) in 1608.
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In 1991 the university was re-established as Viadrina European University. It currently comprises three faculties: Economics and Business Studies; Law; and Cultural Studies. A prime focus of the educational program is to attract students from throughout Europe in order to create a multinational student body. Currently about 40 percent of the students are foreigners (mostly Polish), a greater proportion than at other German universities.
Viadrina European University maintains close cooperation withAdam Mickiewicz University inPoznań, Poland. The two universities jointly operate the Collegium Polonicum, located just opposite Viadrina on the Polish side of the Oder River.
Notable among the research institutions at Viadrina University is the Frankfurt Institute of Transformational Studies (FIT). The institute is a substantial contributor to research on economies in transition.
The university's former president, ProfessorGesine Schwan, ran forPresident of Germany both in 2004 and 2009, being narrowly defeated byHorst Köhler twice.Former diplomatGunter Pleuger has served as the university's president since 1 October 2008. Pleuger was followed by slavicist Alexander Wöll on 1 October 2014.
The Viadrina European University currently offers the following study programs in English:
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