The University of Gondar, founded in 1954 as the Gondar Public Health College, is the oldest medical and public health institution in Ethiopia outside Addis Ababa. It was established with the support of the World Health Organization and trained generations of health officers who served across rural Ethiopia.
The leafy campus on the southern edge of the city retains colonial-era buildings from its founding period alongside later additions. It is not a tourist destination as such, but its grounds are pleasant for a walk and the institution is an important part of the city's identity. Gondar has a reputation as one of the more educated and cosmopolitan provincial cities in Ethiopia, and the university's long presence is part of the reason.
The campus also houses a small museum related to the history of public health in Ethiopia.