When I visited Vienna, Graz in Austria and Padua, Bologna in Italy last October, I was deeply impressed by the beauty of the campuses and the long history of those highly-esteemed institutions.
Universität Wien (University Vienna) was conveniently located in the center of the city, near the City Hall and the iconic theater,
Burgtheater, and had a similar classical façade, giving it a sense of seriousness and loftiness. However, if the maze-like structure was lofty, the students roaming around the staircases, courtyard and lawn made it clear that this institution was also a vibrant living organism and continued to generate academic debates and social and scientific advancements in despite its museum or temple quality look:
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After the glittering Vienna, it was hard to imaging that Graz would even top that. Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz had the similar look to Universität Wien, classical and ornate. What make it most remarkable was a small museum/storage/workshop in its Institut für Klassische Archäologie. Behind the usual office space, there were two or three (I cannot remember clearly) connected large halls, in which many classical Roman and Greek marble sculptures and reliefs were collected and displayed. According to
the university, "
the Institute is home to significant archaeological collections of
ancient vases of Greece, objects from local sites as well as casts of
ancient sculptures. These collections are open to the public."
Indeed they were open to public. It took me quite a while to locate the Institute and two kind middle-aged women rather casually pointed out the halls to me and let me wander amongst those amazing sculptures by myself. It was an absolute treat.
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The most remarkable things about
Università degli Studi di Padova (University of Padua) are its long history and its remarkably preserved ancient dissection theater. The University of Padua was conventionally believed to be founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second oldest in Italy. Since 1595, Padua's famous anatomical theatre drew artists and scientists studying the human body during public dissections. It is the oldest surviving permanent anatomical theatre in Europe. Again, the city and the university were teemed with vivacious young people, learning to be themselves.
The anatomical theatre was quit delicate and the tours could only accommodate small groups. We were only allowed to view the surprisingly small wooden structure from below, at the dissection table level, up to the tier audience levels. It was quite remarkable and unforgettable.
Anatomical Theatre
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My last stop in Bologna granted me a glimpse of the oldest university,
Università di Bologna, which is widely recognized as the oldest university, considering that it was the first to use the term universitas for the corporations of students and masters which came to define the institution.
Bologna was much bigger than Padua, and more gritty, more living-in. In this ancient arched city, one would not miss the university quarter, when endless sprawling crowds of young people filled out the street and plazas day and night. It was messy yet lively. There were some people there quite reminded me of University of California, Berkeley, with just the same dress "code" and odor:
University of Bologna also boasted an ancient anatomical theater but we didn't have time for that. We did see its ancient Law School and I even got a peep of a lecture in one of the ground level classrooms:
Law School
And for a look of student life, we saw a crowded Caffè Zamboni, between Torre degli Asinelli and Basilica Giacomo Maggiore, near Università, with super-sized offering trays for the hungry youths:
Caffè Zamboni, between Torre degli Asinelli and Basilica Giacomo Maggiore, near Università
Related posts on
Art · 文化 · Kunst:
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Magnificent Churches in Vienna
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My Favorite "Sculptures" at the Imperial Crypt (Kapuzinergruft), Vienna
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Theater Experiences in Wien (Vienna)
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Kaiser Maximilian I und die Kunst der Duerer-Zeit in Albertina Museum, Vienna
Label:
Austria,
Italy,
Austria and Italy Trip 2012
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