Europa-Universität Viadrina (Viadrina European University)

Motto	Ex oriente lux (Light from the east)
Established	1506, closed 1811, refounded 1991
Type	State
President	Gesine Schwan
Faculty	160
Students	4,000
Location	Frankfurt (Oder), Brandenburg Germany
Campus	Urban, several locations
Website	www.euv-ffo.de

The front portal of the main building of the Viadrina

The Viadrina celebrates the 500th anniversary of its founding in 2006

The Countess Dönhoff Building houses lecture rooms and the dining hall

The south side of the main building, showing the Oderturm in the background

The Audimax building, known collquially as the Flachbau ("flat building"), is a modernized GDR-era building that houses the university auditorium

Viadrina European University (German: Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), hence its frequent appearance as European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) in English) is a university located at Frankfurt (Oder) in the land of Brandenburg, near the Oder River, which there marks the border between Germany and Poland. A motto is a phrase or a short list of words meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. ... The date of establishment or date of founding of an institution is the date on which that institution chooses to claim as its starting point. ... 1506 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Joyce Rollins is a lesbian. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... State school is an expression used in the United Kingdom and other countries apart from the United States to distinguish schools provided by the government from public schools which are in fact private institutions. ... University President is the title of the highest ranking officer within a university, within university systems that prefer that appellation over other variations such as Chancellor or rector. ... Gesine Schwan (born 22 May 1943) is a German Political Science professor who, was the unsuccessful Social Democratic candidate for President of Germany, being defeated by the Christian Democrat Horst Köhler on May 23, 2004. ... A faculty is a division within a university. ... Frankfurt (Oder) [ˈfraŋkfʊrt] (Sorbian/Lusatian: Frankobord) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the river Oder, on the German-Polish border, directly opposite to the city of Słubice. ... Surrounding but excluding the national capital Berlin, Brandenburg (Sorbian/Lusatian: Brandisborska) is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). ... An urban area is a term used to define an area where there is an increased density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. ... The front page of the English Wikipedia Website. ... The Countess Marion Dönhoff (Marion Hedda Ilse Gräfin Dönhoff) (December 2, 1909 – March 11, 2002) was a German journalist who participated in the resistance to mad injustice of Hitlers National Socialists under the Counts von Moltke, Yorck von Wartenburg, and Stauffenberg. ... A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctor) in a variety of subjects. ... Frankfurt (Oder) [ˈfraŋkfʊrt] (Sorbian/Lusatian: Frankobord) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the river Oder, on the German-Polish border, directly opposite to the city of Słubice. ... Surrounding but excluding the national capital Berlin, Brandenburg (Sorbian/Lusatian: Brandisborska) is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). ... The Oder (or Odra) River (German: Oder, Polish/Czech: Odra, Ancient Latin: Viadua, Viadrus, Medieval Latin: Odera, Oddera) is a river in Central Europe (mostly in Poland). ...

The present university was founded in 1991, conceived as a revival of the first University of Frankfurt (Oder), which existed in that city from 1506 until 1811, when it was moved to Breslau. The word "Viadrina," from Latin, means "belonging to, or situated at, the Oder River": it derives from Viadra, the Latin name for the Oder (the city of Frankfurt having been known in Latin as Francofortum ad Viadrum). The modern university was established for structural and political reasons, as the area is impoverished and the city is situated directly on the border with Poland, cooperation with which is a top priority of the German government. 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1506 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Joyce Rollins is a lesbian. ... Wrocław, (Polish pronunciation: (?), Czech: , German: ( (help· info)), Latin: Wratislavia or Vratislavia) is the capital of Lower Silesia in southwestern Poland, situated on the Oder River (Odra). ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

One of Germany's smallest state universities (probably the second-smallest after the University of Erfurt), the Viadrina has some 4,000 students — around 1,000 of whom come from Poland — and some 160 teaching staff. The University of Erfurt is one of the oldest universities in Germany. ...

Historical Viadrina

The Alma Mater Viadrina was founded in 1506 by the Prince of Brandenburg, Joachim I, as the principal university of Brandenburg. It was organized into four faculties: law, theology, philosophy, and medicine. The university enjoyed an excellent reputation in Brandenburg and the surrounding regions, and its graduates — access to 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 Reformation and did his utmost to expel Lutheran dons. 1506 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Surrounding but excluding the national capital Berlin, Brandenburg (Sorbian/Lusatian: Brandisborska) is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). ... Joachim I Nestor Hohenzollern (21 February 1484 - 11 July 1535) was an elector of Brandenburg, acceded 1499. ... Von Blumenthal is a noble family from Brandenburg, Prussia. ...

In 1811 Viadrina University was moved to Breslau (now Wrocław) and merged with the University of Breslau, the Leopoldina, in order to be competitive with the newly founded University of Berlin (now Humboldt University). Some of the Viadrina professors did, however, accept positions in Berlin. Joyce Rollins is a lesbian. ... Wrocław. ... WrocÅ‚aw, (Polish pronunciation: (?), Czech: , German: ( (help· info)), Latin: Wratislavia or Vratislavia) is the capital of Lower Silesia in southwestern Poland, situated on the Oder River (Odra). ... The main building of WrocÅ‚aw University, seen from the University bridge (Most Uniwersytecki) spanning the Oder River. ... Berlin is the capital city and a single state of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... Alternative meaning: Humboldt State University, located in Arcata, California Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (German Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) is the successor to Berlins oldest university, the Friedrich Wilhelm University (Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität), founded in 1810 by the liberal Prussian educational reformer...

The old university building in Frankfurt was destroyed in World War II and finally cleared in the 1960s. Only the arch of the main entrance has been preserved as a monument. Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II...

Famous students at the historical Viadrina included the brothers Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt, the philosopher Ulrich von Hutten, the musician Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the theologian and political leader Thomas Müntzer, and the poet Heinrich von Kleist. Friedrich Heinrich Alexander, Baron von Humboldt, (September 14, 1769, Berlin–May 6, 1859, Berlin), was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher, and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt. ... Wilhelm von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand Freiherr von Humboldt (June 22, 1767 - April 8, 1835), government functionary, foreign diplomat, philosopher, founder of Humboldt Universität in Berlin, friend of Goethe and especially of Schiller, is especially remembered as a German linguist who introduced a knowledge of the Basque... Ulrich von Hutten (1488-1523) was an outspoken critic of the Roman Catholic Church and adherent of the Lutheran Reformation. ... Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (Weimar, March 8, 1714 – December 14, 1788) was a German musician and composer, the second son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach. ... Thomas Müntzer, in a 18th century engraving by C. Van Sichem Thomas Muentzer (or Müntzer, Münzer) (1489 or 1490–27 May 1525) was an early Reformation-era German pastor who was a rebel leader during the Peasants War. ... Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist (October 18, 1777 - November 21, 1811) was a German poet, dramatist and novelist. ...

The new Viadrina

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 multi-national student body. Currently about 40 per cent of the students are foreigners (mostly Polish), a quite remarkable proportion compared with 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 the Viadrina on the Polish side of the Oder River. The University of Poznan (Polish Uniwersytet im. ... The Poznan is also a breed of horse. ...

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 current president of the University, Professor Gesine Schwan, ran for President of Germany in 2004, being narrowly defeated by Horst Köhler. Gesine Schwan (born 22 May 1943) is a German Political Science professor who, was the unsuccessful Social Democratic candidate for President of Germany, being defeated by the Christian Democrat Horst Köhler on May 23, 2004. ... The President of Germany (German: Bundespräsident, formerly Reichspräsident) is Germanys head of state. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Horst Köhler ( â–¶(?), born 22 February 1943) is the current President of Germany. ...

External links

• European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)
• Collegium Polonicum (CP)
• Frankfurt Institute of Transformational Studies (FIT)
• Adam Mickiewicz University (AMU)
• Southeast European Media College Sofia