The University of Vienna was founded in 1365 by Duke Rudolf IV of Austria, making it the oldest university in the German-speaking world. The institution was modeled on the University of Paris and quickly became a center of learning in Central Europe, attracting students and scholars from across the Holy Roman Empire. Its founding represented the Habsburg dynasty's ambition to establish a cultural and intellectual capital to rival the great cities of Italy and France.

The University of Vienna played a crucial role in the development of German-language poetry and letters, serving as a hub for the transmission of humanist ideas and classical learning. The university's early curriculum emphasized the study of Latin grammar and rhetoric, laying the groundwork for the flowering of German Renaissance poetry. The institution later became associated with the Meistersinger tradition and the poetry of the Nuremberg school, ensuring its lasting influence on the literary culture of Central Europe.