Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry

Mendel University in Brno is the oldest independent specialized university in the Czech Republic. Its founding was preceded, from 1864 onwards, by efforts to establish an agricultural university in Moravia which, however, failed because of obstacles of a political, economic and ethnic character. Its founding was eventually enabled by the declaration of an independent CzechoslovakRepublic in October 1918.

The University of Agriculture in Brno (UOA) was established by Act No. 460 as of 24 July 1919 and maintained its name until 1994. The establishment of the University was facilitated greatly by the transformation of the Agricultural College in Tábor into a university, its relocation to Brno and location in a new building of the Regional Institute for the Blind in Brno - Černá Pole. The UOA consisted of two sections: Agriculture and Forestry. In the academic year 1919/1920, classes were started in the Agricultural Section only, while the Forestry Section was relocated to the Czech Technical University in Prague. The Forestry Section was opened in October 1920 after previous problems with its relocation to Brno.