The University of Trnava is the oldest university in Slovakia, founded in 1635 by Cardinal Péter Pázmány at a time when Trnava served as the ecclesiastical capital of Catholic Hungary. The original university complex is a significant piece of baroque architecture, its courtyards and facades giving the northern part of the old town a distinctly academic character.
The university was closed in 1777 and its faculties transferred to Buda, but was refounded in 1992 after Slovak independence. Today it occupies several historic buildings in the old town, bringing students and intellectual life back to spaces that have functioned as centres of learning for nearly four centuries. The main building's interior is occasionally open for cultural events; even if you cannot enter, the exterior courtyard is worth a look.