The former University of Nagyszombat
Building, structure
The university, the legal predecessor of the Eötvös Loránd University, was founded on 12 May 1635 by Péter Pázmány, a renowned figure of the Counter-Reformation. Its Baroque-style building was built in several parts in the 17th and 18th centuries. By the time it was fully completed, the university first had a theological and humanities faculty, then a law faculty from 1679, and in 1769, education began at the 4th, medical faculty. The first medical education in Hungary was conducted here. Maria Theresa moved the university to Buda in 1777. The university complex also included a printing house, a pharmacy, a rich library, a theatre, laboratories and an astronomical observatory. The latter was designed by one of the greatest astronomers and mathematicians of his time, Miksa Hell. After the university moved to Buda, Joseph II made the building available to the army. Today it houses the military archives.