Wrocław is a city with a rich medical tradition. The first hospital was founded in the 13th century. Medicine was first taught in 1745 by the establishment of the Collegium Medico-Chirurgicum. It was the first medical school in the city. The traditions of Wrocław Medical University date back to 1811, when the Viadrina University (Brandenburg University of Frankfurt) in
Frankfurt (Oder) was relocated to Wrocław by order of Prussian King
Friedrich Wilhelm III. It merged with the local Leopoldine Academy, which did not have a medical faculty, to create the
University of Wrocław. Among its five faculties was the Faculty of Medicine, transferred from Frankfurt (Oder) and headed by its dean, Prof. Dr. Karl Berends, who became the rector of the Royal University of Wrocław in 1811. This connection traces the university's origins back to 1506, when the four-faculty Brandenburg University of Frankfurt, including medicine, was established. Many famous doctors lived and worked in Wrocław such as
Alois Alzheimer -
neurologist and
psychiatrist, who presented his findings regarding degeneration of the
brain cortex (
Alzheimer's disease),
Robert Koch - creator of modern
bacteriology (
Nobel Prize in 1905),
Paul Ehrlich - pioneer of present
chemotherapy (Nobel Prize in 1908). At present Wrocław is an active centre of
medical education. The Medical University also performs a wide range of scientific activities and provides the whole region of
Lower Silesia with highly specialised medical care.
Post-War Reconstruction and Early Development After
World War II, significant efforts were made to restore and rebuild university buildings, as 70% of the city was destroyed. The Faculty of Medicine was established in 1945 as part of the University of Wrocław and Polytechnic of Wrocław. Professor
Ludwik Hirszfeld served as the first dean and delivered the inaugural lecture. Initially, 467 students enrolled in the faculty. On January 1, 1950, the Faculty of Medicine became part of the newly established Wrocław Medical University, then a Medical Academy, which included the Medical and Pharmaceutical Faculties. Professor Antoni Falkiewicz served as the dean during this transition, with student enrollment increasing to 2,100.
Faculty of Medicine The Faculty of Medicine is the oldest faculty at the Medical University of Wroclaw, established on November 14, 1945. The scientific staff consisted mainly of professors from the
Jan Kazimierz University in
Lviv. The Faculty of Medicine has seen several structural changes, including the establishment of the Department of Dentistry in 1948 and the Department of Pediatrics from 1954 to 1966. In 1992, the Faculty of Postgraduate Medical Education was created, followed by the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry in 2000. In 2003, the English Division was established to educate international students. Notable achievements at the Faculty of Medicine include the first open-heart surgery in Poland, performed by Professor Wiktor Bross on February 12, 1958, and the first kidney transplant from a living donor on March 31, 1966 together with Prof. Wladyslaw Wrezlewicz. The faculty has also made significant contributions in microbiology, biochemistry, enzymology, and experimental surgery, earning state prizes for its research. A great number of prominent scientists have conducted research at the Faculty of Medicine, including Professors Ludwik Hirszfeld, Zygmunt Albert, Edward Szczeklik,
Witold Orłowski,
Stefan Ślopek, as well as Hugon and Zofia Kowarzyk.
Faculty of Pharmacy The Faculty of Pharmacy at the Medical University of Wroclaw began operations shortly after World War II, with a group of scientists from the Jan Kazimierz University in Lvov leading the initiative. The Pharmaceutical Department was established in 1946 as part of the Faculty of Medicine of Wrocław University and Polytechnic, becoming an independent Faculty of Pharmacy in January 1950 under the Medical Academy. Professor Tadeusz Baranowski served as the first director, with Professor Bogusław Bobrański as his deputy. The faculty initially operated from a reconstructed building on Szewska Street, formerly the German Pharmaceutical Institute. In the 1979/80 academic year, the Department of Medical Analytics was established to train laboratory diagnosticians. In 2012, the faculty moved to new, modern facilities on Borowska Street.
Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry was established on May 24, 2000, and began operations on October 1, 2000. It was created from the former Faculty of Dentistry within the Faculty of Medicine. The faculty received accreditation for its dentistry program in June 2003, renewed in October 2008, and was authorized to confer doctoral degrees in dentistry and medicine. The faculty introduced English-language classes in the 2005/06 academic year. The first English Division graduates received their dental diplomas in the 2010/11 academic year.
Faculty of Health Sciences The Faculty of Health Sciences traces its roots to the post-war establishment of the University and Polytechnic in 1948. Initially part of the Faculty of Medicine, it became part of the Medical Academy in 1950. The faculty was originally located on Worcella Street and is now situated at 5 Bartla Street. In response to national demands, higher nursing studies were established across Poland, leading to the creation of the Faculty of Nursing at the Wroclaw Medical Academy in 1978. The faculty initially comprised four departments and introduced a master's program in 1979. In 2008, it was renamed the Faculty of Health Sciences and expanded its educational offerings to include nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, public health, and emergency medical services.
Recent Structural Changes On July 31, 2024, structural changes were implemented, establishing the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery and the Faculty of Physiotherapy, along with adjustments to the Faculty of Health Sciences. == Campus ==