The Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STU), the largest and most significant university of technology in the Slovak Republic, is a modern European educational and research institution. It offers university education mainly in technical, technological, technical-economic, technical-information, and technical-artistic fields of study. Its activities reach back to the rich old tradition of the Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica, established by the Empress Maria Theresa in 1762.