Faculty of Architecture

Today's Faculty of Architecture is located in the Reiff Museum, which was named after Franz Reiff (1835-1902), professor of figure and landscape drawing, and opened in 1908. On the one hand it served as a museum and on the other hand as a training center for architects. In its inventory of almost 300 works of art there were 200 original copies, which served to train architects and art historians. The architectural training, which has existed since 1878, and the town planning training, which has existed since 1965, are among the oldest university courses of their kind in Germany. Its long and - in view of the high demand from prospective students - successful history goes back to the profile of the training: The focus here is on imparting design, artistic and technical knowledge and skills on the basis of social, cultural and ecological responsibility. The growing number of students and the associated lack of space meant that the Reiff was expanded by an extension in the years 1960 to 1963. A little later, further conversions and additions were made. After the death of Franz Reiff and his successor Max Schmid-Burgks, the collection lost importance, so that many works were given away, sold or forgotten. In 2005, a project seminar was founded at the Art History Institute, which is working on the collection again. The inventory of the Reiff Museum can be admired in a virtual museum. Reiff Museum. With the Bologna reform, Aachen also switched to the bachelor's and master's system. A Bachelor of Science in architecture has been offered since the 2006/07 winter semester and a Master of Science in architecture and urban planning since the 2009/10 winter semester. In the future, the university character of the training will be further developed through a stronger link between teaching and research or practice with the help of interfaculty and interdisciplinary cooperation with many neighboring areas inside and outside of RWTH Aachen University.