(University of Prague), one of the oldest universities in Europe and the first Slavic university. Founded in 1348 by the emperor Charles IV, whose name it bears.
Charles University originally had faculties of liberal arts, law, medicine, and theology. During the time of the Hussite revolutionary movement, it was the center of the national-liberation and anti-Catholic struggle, and Jan Hus was twice elected rector. In an attempt to lessen the influence of the university, a Jesuit academy was established in Prague in 1562. In 1654 the academy was united by the emperor Ferdinand III with Charles University to form the Charles-Ferdinand University. During the period of national revival from the late 18th to mid-19th centuries, the university’s students and professors actively strove for the liberation of Bohemia from Austrian domination and took part in the revolutionary movement of 1848-49. In 1882, Charles University was divided into separate Czech and German institutions. During the fascist German occupation of Czechoslovakia the Czech university did not function; it resumed operation in 1945.
As of 1975, Charles University had faculties of mathematics and physics, natural sciences, general medicine (with a branch in Plzeň), medicine (in Hradec Králové), pediatrics, medical hygiene, philosophy, law, culture and journalism, physical education and sports, and pedagogy. Attached to the university are the Astronomical Institute (founded 1887) and the Institute of Teacher Education (founded 1960). The university library (founded 1348) is a part of the State Library of the Czech Socialist Republic and has total holdings of approximately 2 million volumes.
During the 1974–75 academic year the university had an enrollment of more than 21,000 students and about 3,000 faculty members. It has published collections of scholarly works since 1958.