University of Frankfurt (Oder)

Viadrina European University

Europa-Universität Viadrina
Latin: Alma Mater Viadrina
Motto	Ex oriente lux
Motto in English	Light from the east
Type	Public
Established	1506, closed 1811, refounded 1991
President	Alexander Wöll
Academic staff	579
Students	6,647
Location	Frankfurt (Oder), Brandenburg, Germany
Campus	Urban, several locations
Website	www.europa-uni.de

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 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 — 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 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 the Frankfurt scholar Jodocus Willich (c.1486–1552) and appeared in the Cosmographia by Sebastian Münster in 1544; the city of Frankfurt was known in Latin as Francofortum ad Viadrum.

The Alma Mater Viadrina was founded on 26 April 1506 by Elector 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 buildung (Collegienhaus) was completed in 1507.