Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, like any other major city, has its own university. Now it is called Vilnius, but before it had a slightly different name. The history of Vilna University is described in our material.
Start
Vilna University was founded in the sixteenth century - this temple of science is so old! The main Lithuanian city was then still called Vilna (until 1918), which is why the word "Vilna" appeared in the name of the institution before. The founder of the university was the then king - Stefan Batory - and the Pope.
The new sanctuary of knowledge was to be, in their design, the academy and university of the Society of Jesus. It became - and remained so until the eighteenth century, when, after one of the educational reforms, it was first renamed the "Main Lithuanian School", and then the word "Lithuanian" was replaced by "Vilna".
In university status
University - yes, not simple, but imperial! - the Vilna school became only in 1803, after an order signed by the then ruler Alexander the First. In those years, universities were endowed with unprecedented rights and power. Judge for yourself: the Imperial Vilna University became the "head" of the entire Vilna district, having acquired absolutely all local educational shelters under its control.
Besides, according to the previous legislation, the university performed not only scientific and educational functions - it was this educational institution that elected directors, caretakers and other officials, one way or another related to education. He was also in charge of publishing and censoring methodological literature; in addition, under him there was a special seminary that trained highly qualified teachers.
Thus, Vilna University in the 19th century was a real center of Lithuanian education. This state of affairs required great employment, great responsibility and, of course, great intelligence, which should have been endowed with a person who took the reins of government into his own hands - as they would say now, the rector. We will return to the question of the rectors and other authorities of the University of Vilna later, but for now we will say that such serious work was well paid. And we are talking not only and not so much about the salaries of the teaching staff, but about the money allocated specifically to the university for its needs.
Vilna University turned out to be the richest of all the educational institutions of Tsarist Russia - its income wasmore than two hundred and fifty thousand rubles (130 thousand were annually given to all universities, 105 thousand the institution of interest to us received from the income of the former estates of the Jesuits; finally, amounts from 30 to 70 thousand (all the time different) came to the Vilna Temple of Science as one-time subsidies).
Year by year the number of students and the number of teachers grew and multiplied, by 1830 the educational institution became the largest not only in Tsarist Russia, but throughout Europe, surpassing even Oxford.
Closing of Vilna University
However, not everything was so smooth and smooth in the life of the largest European educational institution. Let's not forget that the time was tsarist, and the rulers terribly disliked all kinds of secret societies and circles. They were countless in those years, and the university was a truly ideal place for their education, a real hotbed of such communities. So, in the twenties, circles of philomaths, filaretes and radiant ones acted at Vilna University - student patriotic gatherings (we will talk about them in a little more detail later).
When all the secret became clear, dozens of students were arrested, many were put on trial (the well-known Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz, also a student of the Vilna Temple of Science, was imprisoned at the time). This was not the end of the matter - there were reforms in the leadership of the educational institution (the former curator was removed, his place was taken by another "protege"), and in the teaching staff (many professors of Vilna University received a "turn from the gate", because in one way or another they were connected withthe aforementioned secret organizations).
This was the first bell signaling that "not all is well in the Danish kingdom". However, everything might have worked out, and the university would not have had to be closed, but just a few years later, just in the thirties, many students and professors of the Vilna Temple of Science took part in the uprising (it happened in 1831 on the territory of Poland and Ukraine, was directed against the Russian authorities) - who directly and who indirectly.
All this caused the wrath of Nicholas I, who was ruling at that time, and by his decree, the largest temple of science ceased to exist. Thus, 1832 became the year of the closure of Vilnius University - just a couple of years after the university was recognized as the largest in Europe.
A few words about secret societies
As promised above, we will give a brief background on who all these Philarets and Philomaths were and why the existence of their circles caused such displeasure.
Members of the circle of philomaths (from Greek - "striving for knowledge") were people who later became famous poets, scientists, enlighteners, including Adam Mickiewicz, already mentioned above.
Initially, the circle was formed as a society of friends of useful entertainment, but was later renamed. His goal was self-education and self-improvement of a group of friends with a focus on literature and science (mainly physics and medicine). At first, the participants were engaged only in the analysis of their own works,but when one of the professors of Vilna University appeared in the circle, the activities of the society acquired a political and patriotic coloring.
Directly in this circle there were about twenty people, close comrades, but it had, so to speak, branches throughout the university, some of which numbered more than a hundred members (the society of filaretes - "loving virtue" - refers to the same "branches"). Despite the fact that none of the participants in these circles committed anything seditious and reprehensible, they were arrested simply because secret organizations were banned. As a punishment, members of the societies received either exile or terms - no one was executed. This process has become the most high-profile student case.
Further fate
After the closure of Vilna University, its medical faculty became an independent university, just like the theological one: the Medico-Surgical and Catholic Theological Academy were born. They got their own quarters; however, the buildings of the former University of Vilna did not stand idle in vain. At first, the Museum of Antiquities and the Archaeological Commission were located there, then the Public Library and the Archives found shelter.
Finally, two men's gymnasiums were placed in the former Vilna University (in which, by the way, many famous people studied - for example, actor Vasily Kachalov or scientist Mikhail Bakhtin). This continued until the twenties of the last century - almost a century …
Rebirth
In 1919year, the former Vilnius University reopened its doors to students. True, much has changed - in particular, it was no longer called Vilensky, but in honor of Stefan Batory. In this form, the refuge of science lasted only twenty years.
And in 1939, after another reorganization, Vilnius University of Lithuania showed its face to the world. During the war, in 1943, the German invaders closed the institution, but only a year later it began its work again - and continues to teach students to this day.
Vilnius University today
Today, the educational institution in the former Vilna is the largest scientific center with more than twenty thousand students. It is so large that it is housed in several buildings. For the past two years, the former Vilnius University has been a member of the group of the oldest and most significant educational institutions in all of Europe. Ranked among the top 500 universities in the world.
Faculties
There were four faculties at Vilna University: medical, philological, physical and mathematical, and moral and political. Lectures were read either in Polish or in Latin; teaching in Russian began much later, and then only in certain subjects. In the revived and reorganized Vilnius University in 1939, there were only two faculties - humanitarian and legal.
Now there are twelve areas of training in this educational institution:historical, natural sciences, humanitarian, mathematics and computer science, communications, medical, legal, physical, philological, chemical, economic and philosophical faculties. The structure of the university also includes seven institutes: foreign languages, applied sciences, international relations and political sciences, mathematics and computer science, theoretical physics and astronomy, biotechnology, biochemistry.
Interesting facts
- The ensemble of the university includes the Church of St. John's - an architectural monument.
- Foreigners wishing to enter Vilnius University today must be prepared to pay three thousand dollars a year (for a bachelor's or master's degree).
- The main criterion that is looked at when entering the University of Vilnius is academic performance. Recruitment is conducted for bachelor's and master's degrees, there is also the opportunity to study remotely. All training is paid.
- The institution has exchange training programs.
- Many say the indirect reason for the closure of Vilna University in 1832 is that the Poles studied there.
- The building of the institution was made in the Gothic style.
This is the information about the former Vilna University, and now the main educational institution of all Lithuania.
