The Poznan University of Arts has been in existence for over 90 years. It was established in 1919 as the School of Decorative Arts and was later transformed into the State Institute of Art. In 1946 it was renamed the State Higher School of Fine Arts. In September 1996 the school was approved to become the Academy and was once again renamed. The Academy of Fine Arts in Poznań finally after 14 years became the University of Arts in Poznań. On 11 September 1919, a project to open Szkoła Sztuk Zdobniczych /the School of Decorative Art/ in Poznan was officially approved. The school was opened on 1 November that year, 10 days before the proclamation of Poland’s independence. Although the school changed its name several times, it continued to educate students and increase its staff members in accordance with educational needs and the changes that were taking place in art. In 1938, as Państwowy Instytut Sztuki /the State Institute of Art/, the school obtained the status of a higher education centre, however, the outbreak of World War II, prevented its further development.