Breaks, crises and conflicts

With its 650 years of history, the University of Vienna is one of the oldest and most influential institutions in Austria. The fact that it has continuously existed as a site of higher education, scholarship and science since the late Middle Ages until today can easily lead to a perception of continuities in its history. In fact, however, the university’s history is riddled with breaks, new beginnings, existence-threatening crises and phases of stagnation. Political and religious conflicts that were fought on academic ground as well as societal change influenced its development.