The main educational objectives of the exclusively Jesuit teachers was to instill knowledge and the practice of Catholicism in the pupils.

In 1773 Pope Clement XIV dissolved the Jesuit order so that both the teaching staff and the educational objectives of the Akademisches Gymnasium changed.

The humanistic aspects became more and more pronounced as education focused on languages, history, mathematics and the natural sciences.

It was built by Friedrich von Schmidt, the architect who also designed the Vienna townhall, in his typical neo-gothic style.

[1] The period after World War I was very difficult for the Akademisches Gymnasium and it narrowly escaped closure because of a rapid decrease in the number of pupils.

Known as one of the most demanding schools in Austria, it offers a general, humanistic education with a special focus on classical and modern languages preparing its pupils for further academic studies.

The aim of the Akademisches Gymnasium is to give pupils a broad but solid general education, preparing them for study at university.