Timeline

Historical Dates
1402	Pope Boniface IX. approves the establishment of a university in Würzburg, endowing it with papal privileges. It is the fourth university to be founded in the area of what is present-day Germany.
	University facilities housed in various courts in the city: “Zum großen Löwen”, “Zum Katzenwicker”, Dechanteihof of Neumünster Church
1410	University privileges (incl. own jurisdiction) granted by Prince-Bishop Johann von Egloffstein.
1413	Rector Johann Zantfurt stabbed to death by his famulus.
1415	Due to a lack of funds, the university begins to decline.
1427	Due to the difficulty in identifying source materials, the appointment of Joh. v. Münnerstadt is the last official document that can be unambiguously assigned to the first founding of the university.
1573	Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn is elected Prince-Bishop and immediately takes up efforts to re-establish the Würzburg School of Higher Education.
1575	Emperor Maximilian II. grants university privileges.
1576	Renewed granting of papal privileges by Pope Gregor XIII.
1582	On January 2-4, the university is ceremoniously re-inaugurated by Prince-Bishop Julius Echter. University privileges are granted and the deans of the faculties of Theology, Philosophy, Law, and Medicine are appointed.
	The cornerstone of the Old University and university church is laid.
1587	Decree of the statutes for the university as a whole and for the faculties.
1591	Completion of the Old University which houses the Faculties of Theology, Law, and Philosophy; consecration of the university church; Faculty of Medicine is housed in Juliusspital Hospital.
1619	Prince-Bishop Johann Gottfried von Aschhausen lays the foundations for the general university library.
1631	Conquest of Würzburg by the Swedes, a five-year interruption in university activities, and valuable parts of the library’s collections taken to Uppsala.
1695	Botanical garden completed in the garden of Juliusspital Hospital under Prince-Bishop Johann Gottfried von Guttenberg.
1727	Individual endowment funds of the university are merged to form a joint pool of assets, leading to a considerable improvement of the university’s ability to act and reform.
1734	Issue of new Academic Regulations by Prince-Bishop Friedrich Karl von Schönborn leads to the establishment of German as the language of instruction, as well as the promotion of jurisprudence and practice-oriented education.
1749	Karl Philipp von Greiffenklau takes office. One of the first professorships for experimental physics in Germany is created; this discipline separates from the Faculty of Philosophy.
1757	Completion of an astronomical observatory in the belfry of the university church.
1773	Dissolution of the Jesuit Order and the end of its predominant influence on the Faculties of Theology and Philosophy. Appointment of professors with enlightened views.
1782	Creation of a professorship for chemistry and pharmacy under Prince-Bishop Franz Ludwig von Erthal. His support also helps reform the Faculty of Medicine, which becomes one of the leading medical faculties in Germany.
1802	As a consequence of secularization, Würzburg falls under Bavarian rule. The university loses its privileges and rights as mediatized prince and landowner.
1803	New Organization Act for the university, abolition of its ecclesiastical/Catholic bias, substantial additions to the library’s collections from the dispossessed Church, considerable limitation of corporate self-government, and the first appointments of outside lecturers.
1806	Grand Duchy of Würzburg under Ferdinand of Tuscany, the repeal of the university’s re-organization of 1803, and neglect of the university.
1814	Würzburg falls permanently under Bavarian rule. The university is given new statutes.
1828	State no longer in control of the university, partial re-introduction of university self-government, ministerial commissioner still not bound to accept results of elections for Chancellor.
1832	Founding of the Aesthetical Attribute, the future Martin von Wagner Museum of the university.
1833	More than one third of Würzburg’s university professors are dismissed under King Ludwig I. for showing liberal tendencies.
1849	New statutes for the Bavarian universities issued by King Maximilian II. introduce major improvements for students and university institutions. As a result, there is a considerable increase in the number of students.
from 1850 onwards	Construction of numerous university buildings to accommodate facilities for medicine (near Juliusspital Hospital/Pleicherwall), the natural sciences (on Koellikerstraße and present-day Röntgenring), and dentistry (at Pleichertor), as well as the psychiatric clinic (at Schalksberg).
1858	Martin von Wagner donates his entire art collection and a large part of his fortune to the Aesthetical Attribute of the university. Establishment of the Martin von Wagner Museum, which evolves into an important museum of antique art after the additional purchase of the Feoli Collection (1872) with about 500 Greek and Etruscan pieces of pottery.
1878	Division of the Faculty of Philosophy into a philosophical-historical and a mathematical-scientific section.
1896	Marcella O'Grady is the first female student to be admitted to the university.
	The New University on Sanderring is opened.
1903	The Kingdom of Bavaria admits women into university studies at the state institutions in Munich, Würzburg, and Erlangen. In the autumn term, three women and 1,286 men enroll at JMU.
1919	Professor Wilhelm Wien and JMU students play an important part in liberating the hostages taken by the “Revolutionärer Aktionsausschuss”, a revolutionary action group that had occupied the train station, Würzburg Residence and Marienberg Fortress. A general students’ committee (Allgemeiner Studentenausschuss, AStA) is founded to tackle the problems and shortages after the war.
1921	Founding of the “Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften bei der Universität Würzburg” (Society for the Promotion of Sciences at the University of Würzburg) that is still active today under the name of Universitätsbund.
	Opening of the university clinic “Luitpoldkrankenhaus”.
1929	Construction of Studentenhaus dining and service facilities at Sanderrasen.
1933	Enforced political conformity of universities and introduction of the “Führer Principle”. Appointment of the Rector by the National Socialist regime. Gradual dismissal of non-conformist lecturers and expulsion of Jewish students.
1937	Institution of an autonomous Faculty of Natural Sciences.
1945	Almost 90 percent of the city and the university are destroyed in an air raid on March 16. Only six months later, on October 1, the university re-opens and teaching resumes in the Faculty of Catholic Theology. Teaching in the Faculties of Philosophy and Natural Sciences resumes in January 1946 and in the Faculties of Medicine and Law in 1947.
1963	Martin von Wagner Museum re-opens in the south wing of the Würzburg Residence. Decree of Bavarian Parliament initiates the relocation of large parts of the university from the city center to an area in the outskirts of the city (Hubland). Between 1971 and 1978, new university buildings are built including the university library, the philosophy building, and buildings for the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy as well as the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy.
1968	New university statutes come into effect. A College of Rectors becomes responsible for the management of the university, and a Chancellor becomes responsible for administrative matters. The Economic and Social Sciences separates from the Legal and Political Sciences and becomes the university’s sixth Faculty.
1972	Integration of the Pedagogical College as the seventh Faculty (of Education).
1974	The Bavarian Higher Education Act comes into effect, which leads to the re-structuring of the university: Presidential constitution, new central institutions and faculty organization into 13 departments, academic institutions, and operational units. Abolition of AStA and Student Parliament.
1976	Appointment of a five-member Presidential College as the governing body of the university.
1977	Dissolution of the Department of Education due to new teacher-training policies.
1985	Ceremonial inauguration of the “Neubaukirche” after its conversion into an assembly hall for festivities 40 years after its destruction during World War II.
1992	Biocenter is constructed at Hubland Campus.
1993	Microstructure Laboratory is built at Hubland Campus.
1997	The relocation of the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy is completed when the Institute for Physical Chemistry moves to Hubland Campus.
1998	First technological degree program (Nanostructure Technology) is offered.
1999	The Institute for Computer Science is established at Hubland Campus.
2002	The 600-year anniversary celebration of Egloffstein University.
2004	New construction for the Center of Operative Medicine (ZOM) on the medical campus in the district of Grombühl.
2007	Concentration on ten core faculties: Dissolution of the Faculty of Geosciences, relocation of Geology and Paleontology to the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, and integration of Geography into the Faculty of Philosophy I – the Faculties of Philosophy I and II merge to become the new Faculty of Philosophy I, and the former Faculty of Philosophy III is re-named the Faculty of Philosophy II.
2009	A new building is constructed to accommodate the Rudolf Virchow Center and the Research Center for Infectious Diseases at the Surgical Clinic.
	Center for Internal Medicine (ZIM) opens on the medical campus.
	Acquisition of Leighton Barracks (Campus Hubland North).
2011	Completion of the first construction phase on Wittelsbacherplatz (lecture halls and library).
	Inauguration of Campus Hubland North, completion of the Lecture and Seminar Building at Hubland South, and completion of the Central Laboratory Building.
2014	The Faculty of Philosophy II is re-named the Faculty of Human Sciences, and the former Faculty of Philosophy I is re-named the Faculty of Arts. Historical, Philological, Cultural and Geographical Studies are offered.