HTWK Leipzig

HTWK Leipzig was founded on 15 July 1992 and continued the long tradition of the polytechnical schools in Leipzig. HTWK Leipzig today incorporates the learning institutions that are especially typical for the city of Leipzig, such as librarians, book traders, polygraphs and museologists. Leipzig is known as a city of books but also as an important major centre of trade and commerce with a great past and bright future prospect. The university's roots, however, extend as far back as 1764, when its earliest predecessor, the Academy of Painting, Drawing and Architecture, was established under the direction of the painter Adam Friedrich Oeser. The architectural department was led by the J. P. Habersang, who taught the subject art of construction. His scientific concept included the application of mathematical and natural sciences. The establishment of the architecture degree programme at HTWK Leipzig two centuries later fortunately brought a full circle. Due to plans by the architect Albert Geutebrück, the Royal-Saxonian School of Building Trades Leipzig was built on 13 July 1838. The first director and also municipal architect was Geutebrück himself, who intended to push education into a scientific direction. The drafts and buildings of the employed professors can still be recognized in modern Leipzig. The academic professor Ludwig Nieper founded later in 1875 the Municipal Industrial School Leipzig which constituted the key for the scientific engineering education in mechanical and electrical engineering. The basic concept was that tradesmen should not only receive higher general education but also thorough technical education. The conjunction with practical and technical relevance was already established at this time. By the way, these institutions of higher learning have produced more than 16,000 Diploma engineers and more than 1,200 PhDs in engineering since 1954. The history of HTWK Leipzig is only described briefly and incompletely. More information on the history of HTWK Leipzig, especially regarding its evolution as a training institution for booksellers and librarians and its reconstitution as Leipzig Technical University, is available in a variety of print publications.