Akademie der bildenden Kunste

In 1688, Peter Strudel, the court painter to Emperor Leopold I, opened the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. The Emperor officially recognized the academy in 1692, making it the oldest art academy in Central Europe. After Strudel’s death in 1714, the academy was temporarily closed down. However, it was reopened as the Imperial Court Academy in 1726, and made a public institution. Half a century later, the State Chancellor united all of the art schools under the Academy of Fine Arts, as it is known today.