Czech Technical University in Prague

It was established as the Institute of Engineering Education in 1707, but as a secondary education (high school) instead of a tertiary university, by Emperor Joseph Ias a response to Christian Josef Willenberg's petition addressed to preceding emperor Leopold I. In 1806, the institute of Engineering Education was transformed into Prague Polytechnical Institute (or Prague Polytechnic), i.e. a school independent of the University of Prague. This was a Europe-wide trend in the early 19th century, as polytechnical universities were established following the model of the French École Polytechnique. After the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the name of the school was changed in 1920 to the Czech Technical University in Prague.

Origins (18th century)

In 1705, Christian Josef Willenberg asked Emperor Leopold I for permission to teach "the art of engineering". Later, the emperor's only son, who succeeded him on the throne in 1707 as Joseph I, ordered the Czech state of Prague to provide engineering education. For various reasons, the request was not implemented for some time. However, in October 1716, Willenberg repeated the request. Finally, on 9 November 1717, a decree by the Czech state granted Willenberg the first engineering professorship in Central Europe (formally as part of University of Prague). On 7 January 1718, he began teaching.

Initially, Willenberg started teaching only 12 students in his own apartment (six barons, four knights, and two burghers), but gradually students proliferated (in 1779, there were around 200) and they started studying in more suitable premises. Initially, the training focused mainly on the military. Teaching in the first year lasted one hour per day; in the second year, almost two.

The successor of Willenberg was Johann Ferdinand Schor, builder of hydraulic structures in the basin of the Vltava and author of textbooks used at the school of mathematics. He began under Willenberg's leadership by teaching optics, perspectivity, technical drawing and geography. The third was professor František Antonín Herget, who mainly focused on civil engineering, particularly construction.

In September 1776, Maria Theresa allowed Herget to use the Clementinum building; in 1786, the school moved to the new and better building. In 1787, the School of Engineering was established at the decree of Emperor Joseph II and merged with the University of Prague.

Growth and ethnic split (19th century)

In 1815, the institution became independent again as the Royal Bohemian Estate Technical Institute in Prague (CS: Královské české stavovské technické učiliště v Praze, DE: Königliche böhmische ständische technische Lehranstalt zu Prag). The institute grew and changed its name several times during the 19th century. The biggest change was the split into Czech (Český polytechnický ústav království Českého) and German-speaking (Deutsches polytechnisches Institut) universities in 1869, caused by the rising ethnic tensions during the Czech National Revival.

Closures and renewal (20th century)

During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, CTU was closed, along with all other Czech universities, on 17 November 1939 due to protests by Czech students. The German Technical University was not closed as it was managed directly by the Third Reich. The German University was closed by Czechoslovak President Beneš's decree in 1945 in the context of the expulsion of German speakers from Czechoslovakia. The Czech Technical University was reopened and is currently the sole successor of the institution's long and turbulent history.

CTU Space Research

CTU Space Research is ambitious student team. Their goal is to design and launch space rockets and stratospheric balloons. They compete in the European Rocketry Challenge (EuRoC) in Portugal.

International cooperation

Study and work abroad

CTU has international agreements with 484 foreign universities. Many of them are ranked in the first hundred in QS World University Rankings such as National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Purdue University, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Technical University of Munich, Delft University of Technology, KU Leuven or Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile.

CTU has many bilateral agreements with universities outside of Europe. The most sought after universities are from Canada, Australia, Singapore, United States and Japan. That said, every year many students choose to study in attractive destinations such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, South Africa, South Korea, Costa Rica, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Russia or Taiwan.

CTU also participates in the European programmes Erasmus and Leonardo.