The University of Barcelona celebrates 575 years focusing on the future
News
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Institutional
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Academic
(03/09/2025)
On 3 September 1450, a royal privilege granted by Alfonso the Magnanimous to the Consell de Cent of Barcelona enabled the founding of the city’s Estudi General, the origin of today’s University of Barcelona. Now, 575 years later, the institution commemorates this anniversary with a series of cultural, academic and institutional activities to remember its history and legacy, but, above all, to reaffirm its commitment to driving social change through innovation and knowledge.
News
|
Institutional
|
Academic
03/09/2025
On 3 September 1450, a royal privilege granted by Alfonso the Magnanimous to the Consell de Cent of Barcelona enabled the founding of the city’s Estudi General, the origin of today’s University of Barcelona. Now, 575 years later, the institution commemorates this anniversary with a series of cultural, academic and institutional activities to remember its history and legacy, but, above all, to reaffirm its commitment to driving social change through innovation and knowledge.
The celebration, which will begin on 3 September, will be structured along four pillars: “A university of the 21st century. Present and future”, “The history of the university”, “The legacy of the commemoration” and “A celebration for all”. All the activities will be open to both members of the university community and the general public, and will be available on the 575th anniversary website from 15 September.
A celebration of identity
One of the first activities scheduled as part of the anniversary events is the inauguration of the university system’s academic year, which will take place in the Paranymph Hall of the UB’s Historic Building on 7 October in the presence of the President of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa.
Throughout these 575 years, the University of Barcelona has been a loyal defender of Catalan language and culture as an indissoluble part of Europe’s heritage. For this reason, the institution will organize an international student conference for CHARM-EU, the European university alliance it leads, to renew its commitment to the European values of justice, freedom and equality.
Throughout the academic year 2025-2026, the University will also programme various academic activities, such as an international research conference on the history of the institution, a conference on feminism at the UB and another on the UB’s musical heritage.
Culture will also play an important role in the celebrations. The UB will host various exhibitions, such as one focusing on the labour lawyer Francesc Layret and another on the School of Architecture as part of Gaudí Year, and will launch a virtual exhibition on Assumpció Català, the first female professor of astronomy in Spain. It will also publish a translated version of the speech that John Leslie, doctor of Philosophy and Law, gave at the beginning of the 17th century at the University of Barcelona. The text, Sophomachia laconica, is a metaphor for the battle of science against ignorance that is still very much alive today. In addition, the renowned artist Lita Cabellut, who holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Barcelona, will create a special poster dedicated to the UB’s 575th anniversary.
A party for everyone
For 575 years, the UB has placed students at the heart of its activities in order to educate critical and committed citizens, break down the boundaries of knowledge and transform the world around it, always at the service of society. The institution wants everyone to be part of its anniversary and has therefore programmed a series of activities designed to strengthen its links with society.
These include the implementation of historical and literary tours in the Historic Building, the publication of a book on the design of the 575th anniversary image, the installation of an escape room across different UB centres and the organization of open day sessions in the Historic Building.
Citizens can also propose events, cultural projects, academic activities or symbolic and participatory actions to celebrate this special year through this form.
A celebration of identity
One of the first activities scheduled as part of the anniversary events is the inauguration of the university system’s academic year, which will take place in the Paranymph Hall of the UB’s Historic Building on 7 October in the presence of the President of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa.
Throughout these 575 years, the University of Barcelona has been a loyal defender of Catalan language and culture as an indissoluble part of Europe’s heritage. For this reason, the institution will organize an international student conference for CHARM-EU, the European university alliance it leads, to renew its commitment to the European values of justice, freedom and equality.
Throughout the academic year 2025-2026, the University will also programme various academic activities, such as an international research conference on the history of the institution, a conference on feminism at the UB and another on the UB’s musical heritage.
Culture will also play an important role in the celebrations. The UB will host various exhibitions, such as one focusing on the labour lawyer Francesc Layret and another on the School of Architecture as part of Gaudí Year, and will launch a virtual exhibition on Assumpció Català, the first female professor of astronomy in Spain. It will also publish a translated version of the speech that John Leslie, doctor of Philosophy and Law, gave at the beginning of the 17th century at the University of Barcelona. The text, Sophomachia laconica, is a metaphor for the battle of science against ignorance that is still very much alive today. In addition, the renowned artist Lita Cabellut, who holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Barcelona, will create a special poster dedicated to the UB’s 575th anniversary.
A party for everyone
For 575 years, the UB has placed students at the heart of its activities in order to educate critical and committed citizens, break down the boundaries of knowledge and transform the world around it, always at the service of society. The institution wants everyone to be part of its anniversary and has therefore programmed a series of activities designed to strengthen its links with society.
These include the implementation of historical and literary tours in the Historic Building, the publication of a book on the design of the 575th anniversary image, the installation of an escape room across different UB centres and the organization of open day sessions in the Historic Building.
Citizens can also propose events, cultural projects, academic activities or symbolic and participatory actions to celebrate this special year through this form.
The institution has programmed a series of actions and activities to celebrate its history and present and to look towards the future.
A new logo for the commemoration
The University of Barcelona’s 575th anniversary is accompanied by a new corporate image. The commemoration logo is a design that takes as its starting point the physical elements of the university itself (the stone, the glass, the coat of arms and the typography) and the environment (the panot, Barcelona’s characteristic tile), and brings them into contact with the digital, virtual and intangible sphere.
The image represents a strong, adaptable university, based on prestige, tradition and history. A leading institution, with transformative potential and connected to the world around it. The logo was created by former student Borja Vilaplana, a professional designer, under the direction of the design section of the Faculty of Fine Arts, specifically, professors Sheila Gonzalez and Oriol Moret.
A spot to kick off the 575th anniversary
The University of Barcelona will premiere an institutional spot to launch the 575th anniversary celebrations on 3 September, a video that will also be broadcast on the 3Cat platform. The audiovisual production presents a vibrant university that beats to the rhythm of all the people who are part of it, from the youngest generations, who aspire to transform the world, to those who blazed trails decades ago. The filming took place in the emblematic Paranymph of the Historic Building, the scene of a vital panorama where the people are at the heart of this story.
A leading university
The UB is the main public university in Catalonia and one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in Spain. It is the leading Catalan university in terms of student enrolment and course offerings. Moreover, it is considered the best in Spain by various international rankings. According to the QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, it is among the 160 best universities in the world.
It currently has more than 41,000 bachelor’s and 15,000 master’s and postgraduate students, as well as 12,606 international students.
The University of Barcelona’s 575th anniversary is accompanied by a new corporate image. The commemoration logo is a design that takes as its starting point the physical elements of the university itself (the stone, the glass, the coat of arms and the typography) and the environment (the panot, Barcelona’s characteristic tile), and brings them into contact with the digital, virtual and intangible sphere.
The image represents a strong, adaptable university, based on prestige, tradition and history. A leading institution, with transformative potential and connected to the world around it. The logo was created by former student Borja Vilaplana, a professional designer, under the direction of the design section of the Faculty of Fine Arts, specifically, professors Sheila Gonzalez and Oriol Moret.
A spot to kick off the 575th anniversary
The University of Barcelona will premiere an institutional spot to launch the 575th anniversary celebrations on 3 September, a video that will also be broadcast on the 3Cat platform. The audiovisual production presents a vibrant university that beats to the rhythm of all the people who are part of it, from the youngest generations, who aspire to transform the world, to those who blazed trails decades ago. The filming took place in the emblematic Paranymph of the Historic Building, the scene of a vital panorama where the people are at the heart of this story.
A leading university
The UB is the main public university in Catalonia and one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in Spain. It is the leading Catalan university in terms of student enrolment and course offerings. Moreover, it is considered the best in Spain by various international rankings. According to the QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, it is among the 160 best universities in the world.
It currently has more than 41,000 bachelor’s and 15,000 master’s and postgraduate students, as well as 12,606 international students.