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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{short description|University in Germany}}
{{other uses|European University (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox University
| name = European University Viadrina
| native_name = Europa-Universität Viadrina
| image_name = SiegelViadrina.gif
| coordinates = {{coord|52|20|32|N|14|33|14|E|display=it}}
| motto = Ex oriente lux
| established = 1506, closed 1811,<br>refounded 1991
| type = [[Public university|Public]]
| president = Eduard Mühle
| students = 6,647<ref name="FactsAndFigures">{{cite web | title=Zahlen und Fakten Europa-Universität Viadrina | website=European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) European University Viadrina | date=15 September 2023 | url=https://www.europa-uni.de/de/universitaet/profil/zahlen-fakten/index.html | language=de | access-date=21 February 2024}}</ref>
| city = [[Frankfurt (Oder)]]
| state = [[Brandenburg]]
| country = Germany
| campus = Urban, several locations
| website = {{URL|1=https://www.europa-uni.de/en/index.html|2=www.europa-uni.de}}
| mottoeng = Light from the east
| native_name_lang = de
| motto_lang = la
| academic_staff = 579<ref name="FactsAndFigures"/>
| latin_name = Alma Mater Viadrina
}}

'''European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)''' ({{langx|de|link=no|Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)}}) is a university located at [[Frankfurt (Oder)]] in Brandenburg, Germany. It is also known as the '''University of Frankfurt (Oder)'''. The city is on the [[Oder]] River, which marks the border between Germany and [[Poland]]. With 5,200 students&nbsp;— around 1,000 of whom come from Poland — and some 160 teaching staff, the Viadrina is one of Germany's smallest universities (only the [[University of Erfurt]] and [[Jacobs University Bremen]] have fewer students).

The [[Latin]] word ''Viadrina'' means "belonging to, or situated at, the Oder River"; it derives from ''Viadrus'', the name of a presumed river god of the Oder. Actually, an [[Ancient Rome|ancient]] name of the river is not documented, it is mentioned as ''Oddera'' in the 991 ''[[Dagome iudex]]'' referring to the realm of Prince [[Mieszko I of Poland]]. The Latin name was probably introduced by the Frankfurt scholar [[Jodocus Willich]] (c.1486–1552) and appeared in the ''[[Cosmographia (Sebastian Münster)|Cosmographia]]'' by [[Sebastian Münster]] in 1544; the city of Frankfurt was known in Latin as ''Francofortum ad Viadrum''.

== Alma Mater Viadrina (1506–1811)<!--'Alma Mater Viadrina' redirects here--> ==
[[File:Lucas Cranach (I) - Joachim I Nestor - Jagdschloss Grunewald.jpg|thumb|upright|Elector Joachim I Nestor, portrait by [[Lucas Cranach the Elder]]]]
The '''Alma Mater Viadrina'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> was founded on 26 April 1506 by Elector [[Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg|Joachim I Nestor]], with permission from [[Pope Julius II]], as the first principal university of the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg]]. The foundation stone was laid already in 1498 at the site of a demolished synagogue; a foundation charter was issued by [[Pope Alexander VI]] in the same year. The notable theologian [[Konrad Wimpina]] (c.1465–1531) became founding [[prorector]]. Construction of the main building (''Collegienhaus'') was completed in 1507.

The university was organized into four [[Faculty of Arts|Faculties 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. The ''Viadrina'' 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, Bishop [[Georg von Blumenthal]] (1490–1550) was a vigorous opponent of the [[Protestant Reformation]] and did his utmost to expel [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]] such as [[Jodocus Willich]]. (In 2018 his brother's direct descendant [[Julia von Blumenthal]] was named president of the refounded Viadrina.) In 1518 [[Johann Tetzel]] (1465–1519) obtained his doctorate at Frankfurt. Nevertheless, the university, like its [[Duchy of Prussia|Prussian]] counterpart, the [[University of Königsberg]] established in 1544, turned to [[Lutheran orthodoxy]]. A professor popular among students, [[Erdmann Copernicus]], was promoted to head of university in 1573, but died in the same year.  

After the ruling [[House of Hohenzollern]] had converted to [[Calvinism]], the 'Great Elector' [[Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick William]] and his governor Prince [[John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen|John Maurice of Nassau-Siegen]] in 1655 founded the [[University of Duisburg]], a [[Continental Reformed church|Reformed]] college in the [[Duchy of Cleves]]. 
[[File:Kollegienhaus Frankfurt (Oder).jpg|thumb|Old ''Collegienhaus'' (1911)]]
Frederick William also opened the Frankfurt University for [[History of the Jews in Germany|Jewish]] students, against fierce resistance by the teaching staff. While damages of the [[Thirty Years' War]] still had to be repaired, he had a [[botanical garden]] laid out next to the university premises. An [[anatomical theatre]] was built in 1684 at the behest of physician [[Bernhardus Albinus]] (1653–1721). The complete renovation was accomplished in 1693/94.

In 1736 the eminent jurist [[Johann Jakob Moser]] was called to head the Faculty of Law at the university, but had to leave after three years due to his thoroughly [[Liberalism in Germany|Liberal]] ideas which were disliked by the [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian]] king [[Frederick William I of Prussia|Frederick William I]].

In the course of the [[Prussian Reforms]] during the [[Napoleonic Wars]], the University of Frankfurt was moved to [[Wrocław|Breslau]] (present-day Wrocław, Poland) in 1811. It merged with the [[University of Wrocław|University of Breslau]], the ''Leopoldina'' established in 1702 by the [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]] emperor [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold I]], in order to be competitive with the newly founded [[Humboldt University of Berlin|University 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 the [[Königsberg 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 in [[World War II]] and first used as a home for refugees from the [[Former eastern territories of Germany|former 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 philosopher [[Ulrich von Hutten]] (1488–1523) and the theologian and political leader [[Thomas Müntzer]] ({{ca}} 1489–1525), the musician [[Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach]] (1714–1788), the physicians [[Marcus Elieser Bloch]] (1723–1799) and [[Johann Gottlieb Walter]] (1734–1818), [[Wilhelm von Humboldt|Wilhelm]] (1767–1836) and [[Alexander von Humboldt]] (1769–1859), as well as the poet [[Heinrich von Kleist]] (1777–1811). Among the notable university prorectors was Duke [[Henry Wenceslaus, Duke of Oels-Bernstadt|Henry Wenceslaus of Oels-Bernstadt]] (1592–1639) in 1608.

== New Viadrina ==
[[File:Universitas Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder).JPG|thumb|Red-tiled Viadrina main building, ex [[Frankfurt (region)|regional Government]] House, seen from Oderturm 2012]]
[[Image:2004-viadrina -main building Sicherlich.JPG|thumb|right|200px|The front portal of the main building of the Viadrina]]
[[Image:GraefinDoenhoffBuilding.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Marion Dönhoff|Countess Dönhoff]] Building houses lecture rooms and the dining hall]]
[[Image:EUVMainBuildingOderturm.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The south side of the main building (built 1898–1906), showing the [[Oderturm]] in the background]]
[[Image:Flachbau.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Audimax building, known colloquially as the ''Flachbau'' ("flat building"), is a modernized GDR-era building that houses the university auditorium]]
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 with [[Adam Mickiewicz University]] in [[Poznań]], 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, Professor [[Gesine Schwan]], ran for [[President of Germany]] both in 2004 and 2009, being narrowly defeated by [[Horst Köhler]] twice.
Former diplomat [[Gunter Pleuger]] has served as the university's president since 1 October 2008. Pleuger was followed by slavicist Alexander Wöll on 1 October 2014.

== Study programs ==

The Viadrina European University currently offers the following study programs in English:
* Bachelor of International Business Administration
* Bachelor of Cultural Studies
* Master of International Business Administration
* [[Master of Business Informatics]] in cooperation with the [[Virtual Global University]]
* Master of Business Administration ([[MBA]])
* Master of Information and Operations Management
* Master of Law in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (LL.M.)
* Master of European Studies (MES)
* Master of Culture and History of Eastern and Central Europe
* Master of European Cultural Heritage (MEK)

== Notable faculty and alumni ==
* [[Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach]]
* [[Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten]]
* [[Karl August von Bergen]]
* [[Erdmann Copernicus]]
* [[Martin Eisend]]
* [[Johann Gottlieb Gleditsch]]
* [[Alexander von Humboldt]]
* [[Wilhelm von Humboldt]]
* [[Ulrich von Hutten]]
* [[Heinrich von Kleist]]
* [[Thomas Müntzer]]
* [[Andreas Musculus]]
* [[Karl Ludwig von Phull|Ludwig von Pfuel]]
* [[:nl:Garlieb Sillem|Garlieb Sillem]]
* [[Min (Vietnamese singer)]]

== See also ==
* [[List of medieval universities]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}


== External links ==
* {{official|https://www.europa-uni.de/en/index.html}} {{in lang|en|de|pl}}

{{Universities in Germany}}

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[[Category:European University Viadrina| ]]
[[Category:1506 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:1811 disestablishments in the Confederation of the Rhine]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in the 1500s]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges established in 1991]]
[[Category:Frankfurt (Oder)]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges in Brandenburg]]
[[Category:Universities in Germany|Frankfurt an der Oder]]
[[Category:1991 establishments in Germany]]