Chair history
Roman Law at the University of Graz - a historical outline
Since the introduction of a Studium juris at the University of Graz by Maria Theresa in 1778, Roman law has been taught continuously in Graz. However, Roman law had already been taught in the second half of the 16th century at the Protestant Landschaftliche Schule in Graz. After the abolition of this collegiate school in 1598, there was no public teaching of law in Graz for fifty years. In 1648, however, the Styrian Landschaft decided to appoint a professor juris. From this time until the founding of the Faculty of Law in 1778, law was taught by professors paid by the Landschaft. The last Landschaft professor juris, Joseph Balthasar Winckler, became the first professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Graz. Franz Aloys Tiller became the second professor. Both jurists were very prolific authors. Among other things, Winckler wrote a two-volume commentary on the Digest: "Jus civile universum" (Graz 1768).
In memoriam em. university professor Dr. Gunter Wesener
Graz-born Gunter Wesener spends almost his entire life in this "beautiful, tranquil, culturally rich city of manageable size", as he describes it himself. Despite his inclinations for history, Latin, linguistics and mathematics, he decided to study law. He did not become a judge, as would have been in keeping with family tradition (his ancestor Wolffgang Wesener [1494-1557] had been mayor in Halle an der Saale), but instead embarked on an academic career.
Artur Steinwenter, who researched late antique procedural law and documents in Rome, Greece and Egypt and was concerned with legal thought and historical continuity in current law, won Wesener over as a young colleague and later successor to the chair in Graz. The mentor directs the habilitation candidate's interest to areas that he has not worked on himself. Hubert Niederländer advises him to establish a "new" discipline - the history of private law in modern times. From this, Wesener developed his habilitation thesis "Die Geschichte des Erbrechtes in Österreich seit der Rezeption" (1957). In his later years, he published his second important monograph on "Roman Law and Natural Law" (1978). In between and afterwards, he wrote numerous extensive and multifaceted works. His impressive creative period spans 60 years.
Gunter Wesener was twice Dean of the Faculty of Law in Graz and is universally remembered for his balanced nature. He held many positions at home and abroad and received numerous honors. As a scholar of Roman law and the history of modern private law, he achieved great international renown in the academic world.
He was extremely popular with generations of students as an attentive, patient and helpful teacher. Like a diligentissimus pater familias, he provided the next generation of academics with support and guidance.
We will miss Prof. Wesener very much. We share a mutual appreciation. Forever.
Evelyn Höbenreich
