Palace of Knowledge

After the Revolution of 1848 the University of Vienna was moved away from the center of the city. Only after the city walls were razed in 1884 did the university acquire a new home on Ringstrasse in the immediate vicinity of the City Hall, Parliament and Court Theater. Once academic freedom had been attained and the educational system restructured on the basis of the Humboldtian model, the new university palace soon became a symbol of the emergence of modern science in Austria. A ’historical stroll’ leads the reader through the important stations of the general history of the university, pointing to aspects of the architectural history of the building, the construction and artistic design. The book not only gives an impression of the historical rooms but also offers a glimpse behind the scenes. The striking constructional changes are described against the backdrop of the more than 120 years of rich history associated with the "house on the Ring".