K.k. Akademie für Orientalische Sprachen

The Kaiserlich-königliche Akademie für Orientalische Sprachen (also known as Oriental Academy) was founded in 1754 by Empress Maria Theresa in Vienna.

History

As early as 1674, on the orders of the Emperor, teaching in Turkish and Arabic began in Vienna. The Ottoman wars in Europe, but also the economic and cultural exchange had made interpreters necessary and the scientific interest in the Orient awakened.

In 1754 Empress Maria Theresa founded the Imperial Royal Academy for Oriental Languages at the suggestion of Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg, where Oriental Studies were taught alongside Turkish, Persian and Arabic. Most students entered the diplomatic service, where they were called "language youths" because of their age.

The building in which the "Consular Academy" (successor organization of the "K.k. Academy for Oriental Languages") resided, now the seat of the US Embassy.

At the end of the 19th century, the Oriental Academy was reorganised and renamed the "Consular Academy". In 1902 the academy moved to a new building in Boltzmanngasse built by the architect Ludwig Baumann. After the Anschluss in 1938 the activities of the academy were strongly restricted by the new National Socialist rulers. From 1941 the building was used as a military hospital for the German army. In 1947 it was bought by the US government. Initially it served as a US embassy and from 1951 as Embassy of the United States, Vienna.[1] The Academy reopened in 1964 as Diplomatic Academy of Vienna in the building of the Theresianum.

One of the most famous students was Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall.

Further reading
  • Victor Weiss von Starkenfels: Die kaiserlich-königliche orientalische Akademie zu Wien, ihre Gründung, Fortbildung und gegenwärtige Einrichtung. Gerold, Wien 1839 (Volltext).
  • Erich Schlöss: Von den Sprachknaben zu den Anfängen der Orientalischen Akademie. In: Wiener Geschichtsblätter. Vol. 56, Nr. 1, 2001, ISSN 0043-5317, p. 70–76.
  • Marie de Testa, Antoine Gautier: L'Académie Orientale de Vienne, 1754–2002, une création de l'Impératrice Marie-Thérèse et Liste des jeunes de langues d'Autriche (1719–1903). In Marie de Testa, Antoine Gautier (ed.): Drogmans et diplomates européens auprès de la Porte ottomane (Analecta Isisiana. vol. 71). Éditions Isis, Istanbul 2003, ISBN 975-428-258-7, p. 53–75.
  • Oliver Rathkolb (ed.): 250 Jahre, von der Orientalischen zur Diplomatischen Akademie in Wien. 250 years, from the Oriental to the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna. 250 Années de l'Académie Orientale à l'Academie Diplomatique à Vienne. Studien-Verlag, Innsbruck among others 2004, ISBN 3-7065-1921-6.
  • Hana Navrátilová, Roman Míšek: The Oriental Academy, Birth of a New Era of Austrian Diplomacy in the Orient. In Archiv orientální, volume 71, Heft 2 (2003), p. 199–204.

References
  1. "US-Message: History of the Consular Academy and Boltzmanngasse 16". Archived from the original on 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2019-10-04.; retrieved on Oct. 22, 2012
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