Gates of Remembrance on the Campus of the University of Vienna

Concept 1998

The naming of the gates was a newer form of honoring important personalities around the university. The names were chosen from all eight faculties existing at the time and the „Gate of the Secretly Pregnant Women” also commemorated the thousands of unmarried women who were helped here until 1908.
When naming the gate, greater consideration was also given to the groups of women and expelled scientists, who had previously hardly been represented in the culture of remembrance. In some cases, the decision was also made to remember two people in one gate, often to those who had the same name. For example, there is a „Menger Gate“, named after the famous national economist Carl Menger and his son, Karl Menger, professor of mathematics and member of the Vienna Circle and a „Beth Gate“ named after protestant theologist Karl Beth and his wife Marianne Beth, lawyer and sociologist.
All entrances to the new campus were defined as “gates of memory”, as were all crossings between two courtyards, even if these were not structurally in the form of “gates” but merely open “passages”.

The gates were each marked on site in 1998 with two glass plates – one bore the university seal and the name „University Campus“ and the respective gate designation, the other also contained the respective gate designation as a heading and below it the name, life data and short biography of the honoree(s). Depending on the local conditions, the plaques were placed next to each other or one to the right and one to the left of the gate or passageway. In addition, the gates were comprehensively depicted in the publication accompanying the campus opening and shown on all orientation maps in the area as well as on the official campus maps. However, this was not continued in subsequent updates to the plans and the guidance system.

As part of the university's 650th anniversary in 2015, three gates also became part of the „Axis of Remembrance”, which connects and comments on the various monuments and places of remembrance, were provided with corresponding QR codes on site, which lead to the app of the same name with documents, images and in-depth background information on the respective honored person.

Redesign 2023/24

In 2023/24, the gates will be redesigned and the glass plaques, which have become damaged and difficult to read over the years, will now be larger metal plaques, in the current design of the University of Vienna and with portraits of the honorees to make this honor more visible. In the course of this, the Senate of the University of Vienna also decided on October 19^th, 2023, to make some changes: The Beth Gate was no longer only dedicated to the Protestant theologian Karl Beth, but also to his wife, the important lawyer and sociologist Marianne Beth, the honoring of classical philologist Albin Lesky and his wife, medical historian Erna Lesky, who were both followers of National Socialism, was ended after 25 years, and Erica Tietze-Conrat and Hans Tietze, two important art historians who were persecuted by National Socialism, were newly included in the canon of honors. The „Gate of the Secretly Pregnant Women”, which has been referred to as such in literature and on campus maps since its beginnings in 1998, but previously no plaques on site – there was only one for the radiologist Guido Holzknecht, who was also honored here – has now also been supplemented by a plaque for this historical peculiarity of the gate.

___All honorees at a glance

___All Gates by alphabet

• Beth Gate (Spitalgasse 2–court 1), see Marianne Beth (1890–1984) and Karl Beth (1872–1959)
• Bolla-Kotek Gate (Rotenhausgasse–court 8), see Sibylle Bolla-Kotek (1913–1969)
• Browne Gate (court 3–court 6), see Martha Stephanie Browne (Braun) (1898–1990)
• Bühler Gate (Spitalgasse/corner of Alser Straße–court 1), see Charlotte Bühler (1893–1974) and Karl Bühler (1879–1963)
• Celtis Gate (Court 4–court 5), see Konrad Celtis (1459–1508)
• Freud Gate (Spitalgasse center–court 1), see Anna Freud (1895–1982) and Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)
• Hell Gate (court 2–court 7), see Maximilian Hell (1720–1792)
• Holzknecht Gate (Rotenhausgasse–court 7), see Guido Holzknecht (1872–1931)
• Jahoda Gate (court 1–court 2), see Marie Jahoda (1907–2001)
• Johannes/St. John's Gate (Spitalgasse 2–court 4), see St. John
• Karlik Gate (Ostarrichipark/Alser Straße–court 1), see Berta Karlik (1904–1990)
• Menger Gate (court 1–court 4), see Carl Menger (1840–1921) and Karl Menger (1902–1985)
• Peuerbach Gate (court 6–court 7), see Georg Aunpekh von Peuerbach (1423–1461)
• Pfleger-Ehrmann Gate (court 2–court 4), see Gertraut Ehrmann-Binder (1915–1997) and Lilly Pfleger-Schwarz (1909–1992)
• Piccolomini Gate (court 7–court 8), see Enea Silvio Piccolomini (1405–1464)
• Richter Gate (Garnisongasse 15–court 9), see Elise Richter (1865–1943) and Helene Richter (1861–1942)
• „Secretly Pregnant Women” Gate
• Seligmann Gate (court 2–court 3), see Romeo Seligmann (1808–1892)
• Sonnenfels Gate (Alser Straße 4–court 1), see Josef von Sonnenfels (1732–1817)
• Sorbait Gate (court 5–court 10/brain research), see Paulus de Sorbait (1624–1691)
• Suess Gate (court 1–court 7), see Eduard Suess (1831–1914)
• Tietze Gate (court 3–court 13), see Hans Tietze (1880–1954) and Erica Tietze-Conrat (1883–1956)
• Verdross Gate (court 3–court 5), see Alfred Verdross (1890–1980)
• Wagner-Rieger Gate (court 8–court 9), see Renate Wagner-Rieger (1921–1980)

___All Gates by category

Women:

Marianne Beth (1890–1984) | Sibylle Bolla-Kotek (1913–1969) | Martha Stephanie Browne (Braun) (1898–1990) | Charlotte Bühler (1893–1974) | Gertraut Ehrmann-Binder (1915–1997) | Anna Freud (1895–1982) | Marie Jahoda (1907–2001) | Berta Karlik (1904–1990) | Lilly Pfleger-Schwarz (1909–1992)  | Elise Richter (1865–1943) | Helene Richter (1861–1942) | Erica Tietze-Conrat (1883–1956) | Renate Wagner-Rieger (1921–1980) | „Gate of the Secretly Pregnant Women”

Men:

Karl Beth (1872–1959) | Karl Bühler (1879–1963) | Konrad Celtis (1459–1508) | Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) | Maximilian Hell (1720–1792) | St. John | Carl Menger (1840–1921) | Karl Menger (1902–1985) | Georg Aunpeck von Peuerbach (1423–1461) | Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pope Pius II) (1405–1464) | Romeo Seligmann (1808–1892) | Josef von Sonnenfels (1732–1817) | Paulus de Sorbait (1624–1691) | Eduard Suess (1831–1914) | Hans Tietze (1880–1954) | Alfred Verdross (1890–1980)

Victims of National Socialism:

Marianne Beth (1890–1984) | Karl Beth (1872–1959) | Martha Stephanie Browne (Braun) (1898–1990) | Charlotte Bühler (1893–1974) | Karl Bühler (1879–1963) | Anna Freud (1895–1982) | Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) | Marie Jahoda (1907–2001) | Elise Richter (1865–1943) | Helene Richter (1861–1942) | Erica Tietze-Conrat (1883–1956) | Hans Tietze (1880–1954)

Scholars before 1800:

Konrad Celtis (1459–1508) | Maximilian Hell (1720–1792) | Georg Aunpeck von Peuerbach (1423–1461) | Enea Silvio Piccolomini, Pope Pius II (1405–1464)

| Josef von Sonnenfels (1732–1817) | Paulus de Sorbait (1624–1691)

Popes & Saints:

St. John | Enea Silvio Piccolomini, Pope Pius II (1405–1464)

Faculties / Disciplines:

Faculty of Catholic Theology: St. John (apostle, evangelist, saint, faculty patron), Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Catholic theology, pope)
Faculty of Protestant Theology: Karl Beth (Protestant theology)
Faculty of Law: Marianne Beth (Law), Sibylle Bolla-Kotek (Roman and Civil Law), Alfred Verdross (International Law)
Faculty of Business, Economics and Statistics: Carl Menger (Economics)
Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies: „Secretly Pregnant Women” (Social history, Gender studies), Erica Tietze-Conrat (Art History), Hans Tietze (Art History, museology, monument conservation), Renate Wagner-Rieger (Art History)
Faculty of Philological and Cultural Studies: Marianne Beth (Romance Studies), Elise Richter (Romance Studies), Helene Richter (English Studies)
Faculty of Philosophy and Education: Konrad Celtis (Philosophy and Education)
Faculty of Psychology: Charlotte Bühler (Developmental Psychology), Karl Bühler (Psychology), Anna Freud (Child psychoanalysis), Sigmund Freud (Psychoanalysis)
Faculty of Social Sciences: Marianne Beth (Sociology), Martha Stephanie Browne (Braun) (Political Sciences), Marie Jahoda (Sociology), Josef von Sonnenfels (Political Sciences)
Faculty of Mathematics: Karl Menger (Mathematics), Georg Aunpeck von Peuerbach (Mathematics, Astronomy)
Faculty of Physics: Berta Karlik (Physics)
Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy: Maximilian Hell (Astronomy), Georg Aunpeck von Peuerbach (Astronomy, Mathematics), Eduard Suess (Geology, Paleontology)
Faculty of Medicine (since 2004: Medicine University of Vienna): Gertraut Ehrmann-Binder (Dermatology), Sigmund Freud (Psychoanalysis), „Secretly Pregnant Women” (Gynecology, Obstetrics, Gender medicine), Guido Holzknecht (Radiology), Victoria Lilly Pfleger-Schwarz (Dermatology), Romeo Seligmann (History of medicine), Paulus de Sorbait (Anatomy)

Double gates (partners, parents, siblings, colleagues)

• Beth Gate (Spitalgasse–court 1), see Marianne Beth (1890–1984) and husband  Karl Beth (1872–1959)
• Bühler Gate (Spitalgasse/corner of Alser Straße–court 1), see Charlotte Bühler (1893–1974) and husband Karl Bühler (1879–1963)
• Freud Gate (Spitalgasse 2–court 1), see Anna Freud (1895–1982) and father Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)
• „Gate of the Secretly Pregnant Women” = Holzknecht Gate (Rotenhausgasse–court 7), see Guido Holzknecht (1872–1931)
• Menger Gate (court 1–court 4), see Carl Menger (1840–1921) and son Karl Menger (1902–1985)
• Pfleger-Ehrmann Gate (court 2–court 4), see Gertraut Ehrmann-Binder (1915–1997) and colleague Lilly Pfleger-Schwarz (1909–1992)
• Richter Gate (Garnisongasse 15–court 9), see Elise Richter (1865–1943) and sister Helene Richter (1861–1942)
• Tietze Gate (court 3–court 13), see Hans Tietze (1880–1954) and wife Erica Tietze-Conrat (1883–1956)

Outer Gates

Inner Gates