Utrecht University was founded in 1636 and has its origins in the center of the city. The academy building is still located on Domplein. The University expanded and occupied more and more buildings in the city. For example, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was located in the Buiten Wittevrouwen district near Biltstraat. And the medical faculty was located in the Utrecht City and Academic Hospital on the Catharijnesingel.
In the 1950s it became apparent that the UU could not be maintained in the old city. The University board wanted to settle in the east of the city, an area that until then had been mainly agricultural. The first plans saw the light of day in 1958. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was one of the first to move. In 1989, the AZU closed its doors in the city center and continued as UMCU at De Uithof. More and more institutions joined De Uithof, such as the Military Hospital and the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. Today, research institutions and companies also want a place in the University District, such as the RIVM, which will soon move to De Uithof.