Scholars in Stone and Bronze

The Arcaded Courtyard is the central commemorative site of the University of Vienna. In designing it architect Heinrich von Ferstel modelled it after Italy’s Renaissance architecture. The courtyard was to serve as a Campo Santo, honoring the memory of famous university professors. The university adopted this plan and in 1888, four years following the inauguration of the university building, erected the first monument. Since then, more than 150 busts and commemorative plaques have been set up. These include remarkable sculptures by renowned architects from the Ringstrasse era such as Kaspar von Zumbusch, Richard Kauffungen, Victor Tilgner and Carl Kundmann. Among the scholars one finds prominent figures such as Nobel Laureate Erwin Schrödinger and Karl Landsteiner, or philosopher Karl Popper, along with many names that today are only familiar to colleagues from the discipline. This guide presents the monuments and offers a brief biography of each scholar commemorated in stone or bronze.