Technische Universität Chemnitz-Zwickau

Chemnitz University of Technology (German: Technische Universität Chemnitz) is a public university in Chemnitz, Germany. With over 9,000 students, it is the third largest university in Saxony It was founded in 1836 as Königliche Gewerbschule (Royal Mercantile College) and was elevated to a Technische Hochschule, a university of technology, in 1963. With approximately 1,500 employees in science, engineering and management, Chemnitz University of Technology is among the most important employers in the region.

Contents

  • History
  • Foundation
  • During the German Democratic Republic Era
  • After Germany's Reunification
  • Organization and Administration
  • Faculties
  • Central Institutions
  • An-Institutes
  • Campus3.1Campus at Straße der Nationen 62
  • 1Eduard-Theodor-Böttcher-Bau
  • University Library
  • 3Campus on Reichenhainer Straße
  • Central Lecture Hall and Seminar Building
  • Cluster of Excellence MERGE
  • Research Center MAIN
  • Campus on Erfenschlager Straße
  • Campus on Wilhelm-Raabe-Straße
  • Academic profile
  • Research
  • International students
  • Rankings
  • Notable people
  • Professors
  • References
  • External links
  • History
  • Foundation

The tradition of science in this region goes back to the 16th century when Georg Agricola (1494-1555), a famous German scholar of minerals, served as the city's mayor. Historically, the university emerged from the Gewerbschule (trade school) founded in 1836. One year later, a Baugewerkenschule (school for the building trades) became affiliated with the Königliche Gewerbschule (Royal Trade School), which was followed by a Königliche Werkmeisterschule (Royal School for Master Craftsmen) in 1855. An existing Fabrikzeichenschule (Factory Mark School) in Chemnitz was affiliated to the Gewerbeschule at the time of its founding, but it was separated from the Gewerbschule for budgetary reasons in 1858. These four schools existed side by side and were unified by their director. In 1878, these schools were formally united in a school association - the Kasse der Technischen Staatslehranstalten (Office of the Technical Educational Institutions). The Gewerbeschule in particular, which was renamed the Gewerbeakademie in 1900 and the Staatliche Akademie für Technik (Public Academy of Technology) in 1929, achieved high recognition in Germany and a special position among the technical colleges and technical schools.

During the German Democratic Republic Era

After World War II, the association was reopened as a purely technical school under the name Technische Lehranstalten (Technical Academy) in 1947. In 1953, the Hochschule für Maschinenbau Karl-Marx-Stadt (Karl-Marx-Stadt College of Mechanical Engineering) was reestablished at the same location and in the same building. Over the course of the adjustment of the technical school landscape in the GDR, the old technical school was dissolved in 1955. The College of Mechanical Engineering was elevated to the status of a technical college in 1963 and to that of a technical university in 1986.

For basic Marxist-Leninist studies, which had been obligatory since 1951 for students of all disciplines in the GDR, there was also an Institute for Marxism-Leninism at the school. It later also had to take over the scientific staff, lecturers and professors' ongoing ideological training.

After Germany's Reunification

The new lecture hall, or Orangerie, at Chemnitz University of Technology

At the end of the German Democratic Republic, the academic system of Eastern Germany was absorbed by the West German system. Chemnitz University of Technology was actively supported to remain as a third university in Saxony besides University of Leipzig and TU Dresden. In 1992, the former Pädagogische Hochschule Zwickau was incorporated and the university was renamed Technische Universität Chemnitz-Zwickau. With the establishment of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (1993) and the Faculty of Humanities (1994), the university's profile shifted from technical to a more comprehensive university. In 1997, another renaming took place and the institution received its current name, Chemnitz University of Technology. In September of the same year, the Saxon state government made the decision to end elementary school teacher training in Chemnitz. As of the winter semester 1999/2000, no more students were enrolled in the teacher training programs. The state government made the decision to center teacher training in Leipzig and Dresden. These decisions were accompanied by massive protests from the ranks of the students but also from the Faculty of Humanities.

In 2009, when the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences was spun off from the Faculty of Humanities, the university consisted of 159 professorships spread across eight faculties. With more than 9,000 students, Chemnitz University of Technology is the third largest university in Saxony after the University of Leipzig and the TU Dresden.

As part of the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments, the Cluster of Excellence MERGE - Technology Fusion for Multifunctional Lightweight Structures was funded at the university until 2017. After the additional funding expired on October 31, 2019, MERGE became a central institution of the university.

Teacher education returned to the university with the establishment of the Centre for Teacher Training in 2013 as a central institution for training elementary school teachers. In 2014, the Centre for Knowledge and Technology Transfer was founded as a central institution of Chemnitz University of Technology.

Chemnitz University of Technology successfully participated in both rounds of the Female Professors Program, which is funded by the federal and state governments.[9] In 2019, the university participated in the Female Professors Program for the third time and was the only university in Saxony to receive the "Equality Excellent" rating.

Since April 2019, the university has received funding from the program WIR! - Change through Innovation in the Region. Up to 15 million euros are available for the two joint projects - Smart Rail Connectivity-Campus and SmartERZ.The aim of the Smart Rail Connectivity-Campus is to establish a research campus in Annaberg-Buchholz for research into autonomous train traffic.

Also in 2019, Chemnitz University of Technology received the Award for University Communication for its overall communicative concept and its advocacy against violence and xenophobia following the racist riots in Chemnitz in 2018.

Organization and Administration

Faculties

The university is organised into the following eight faculties:

Faculty of Computer Science

Faculty of Economics and Business Administration

Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology

Faculty of Mathematics

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Faculty of Natural Sciences

Faculty of Humanities

Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences

Central Institutions

Cluster of Excellence MERGE

Saxony's Centre for Teaching and Learning

University Library

Foreign Language Centre

Internationales Universitätszentrum

Centre for Young Scientists

Centre for Knowledge and Technology Transfer

Research Centre MAIN

International Office

University Computer Centre

Centre for Teacher Training

Centre for Sports and Health Promotion

 

An-Institutes

Cetex Institute for Textile and Processing Machines gemeinnützige GmbH

Institute of Mechatronics e.

Saxony Textile Research Institute e.V.

TUCed – An-Institut für Transfer und Weiterbildung GmbH