The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg) is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. The University of Wurzburg is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in Germany having been founded in 1402. The University initially had a brief foundation and was closed in 1415, until it was permanently reopened in 1582 under the initiative of Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn. Today, the University is named for Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn and Maximilian Joseph.