Universitas Studiorum Croatica, Regia Scientiarum Academia, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis

The University of Zagreb is the oldest Croatian university, as well as the oldest university in southeastern Europe, if one counts its origins in the Cathedral School established there in 1094¹. It was officially founded on September 23, 1669 by Emperor Leopold Habsburg, who granted the status of a university to the Jesuit Academy of the Royal Free City of Zagreb. According to the diploma he issued, the study of philosophy in Zagreb acquired a formal and legal status as Neoacademia Zagrabiensis, officially creating a public institution of higher education.

The Academy was run by Jesuits up until 1773, when the Jesuit order was dissolved by Pope Clement XIV. In 1776, Empress and Queen Maria Theresa issued a decree founding the Royal Academy of Science (Regia Scientiarum Academia), consisting of three faculties: philosophy, theology and law. In 1861, Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer proposed to the Croatian Parliament (Hrvatski Sabor) that a legal basis be established for the founding of the University of Zagreb. Emperor Franz Joseph signed the decree on the establishment of the university during a visit in 1869, and the Act of Founding was finally ratified on January 5, 1874.

Today, the University of Zagreb has 33 separate faculties, approximately 60,000 students, and 7,000 employees.

http://www.unizg.hr/

¹shallot says: actually, you can't simply say that Zagreb univ. is the oldest .hr university, because Zadar is said to have had a faculty since 1396. :)