On September 1, 1973, after a brief intermezzo as a state academy, the traditional Würzburg State Conservatory of Music was upgraded to a music academy. What Hanns Reinartz had worked towards as director became a reality. The reason for this was the need to create a second location for secondary school music teacher training in Bavaria. The fact that Würzburg was chosen was also due to the fact that the State Conservatory already had a number of internationally renowned teachers thanks to clever appointments.

This retrospective of 50 years of the university's history contains 13 articles that shed light on its history from the post-war period onwards, the educational policy context in which the university was founded and the actions of those responsible along the way. It follows the further development, which is characterized by development and expansion until the integration of the municipal academy of music in 2001, but then also experiences cost-cutting measures and the increasing self-responsibility for profile development. Individual facets of the university's profile such as the opera school, music education, the department of historical instruments, jazz and the New Music Days are examined separately.
The 'innovation' being pushed by the state in terms of higher education policy is forcing the Würzburg University of Music to reflect on its historically evolved identity and its role within music education and music culture.

Last but not least, it is about the challenges of the present. The texts in this commemorative publication aim to make a contribution to this.