The ‘generous’ queen referred to in Article VII of Act VII of 1808, after whom the Royal Hungarian Defence Ludovika Academy was named, was none other than the third wife of Emperor Franz I, Maria Ludovika Beatrix of Habsburg Este, who donated her coronation gift of 50,000 forints to the establishment of the institution. This would be the equivalent of 200-250 million forints today. The establishment of Hungarian-language military officer training brought the whole nation together. An unprecedented public donation campaign was launched, which resulted in more than four times as many pledges as the academy. A total of 995 100 forints was raised, which today is equivalent to around 4 billion forints. The names of the 237 donors have been enacted into law. Not only individuals but also church communities and counties joined forces to build the Ludovika. This noble gesture is commemorated by a series of coats of arms in the courtyard of the building.

The foundation stone was laid in 1830 by Prince Joseph the Procurator. Construction began on the neoclassical designs of Mihály Pollack and was completed in 1836. However, officer training could not start as the imperial government and the court military council always managed to put obstacles in the way of the Ludoviceum’s opening. The building stood empty for years. In 1838, after the Great Flood of Pest, it was used to house flood victims and to house the National Museum’s valuable collection. The organisation of military education finally began at the Ludovika during the 1848-49 Revolution and War of Independence. The Hungarian War College was inaugurated on 7 January 1849. Still, ten days later, the Austrian military authorities occupying Pest-Buda banned its operation, confiscated its equipment and converted the building into a military hospital. The Ludovika Academy began its effective operation in 1872, and within a few years, it became a higher education institution on par with the Maria Theresia Academy in Vienna. From then on, the most outstanding officers of the Hungarian armed forces of the time taught and educated the future soldiers.

After the First World War, the Trianon peace treaty prohibited the Ludovika Academy from remaining the only institution within the Hungarian Defence Forces that could provide officer training. It remained in operation until 25 April 1945. For decades afterwards, the building was occupied by the departments of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the ELTE, and the Hungarian Museum of Natural Sciences, which had previously been housed in scattered locations, was also located here.

In May 2012, the Government of Hungary decided to renovate the historic Ludovika complex and renew Orczy Park to provide a worthy, unified home for the Ludovika University of Public Service. The development of the Ludovika Campus Project started with the reconstruction of the neoclassical main building designed by Mihály Pollack. The renovation was completed by the spring of 2014, and the University of Public Service took possession of the renewed building on 31 March.