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 Vilnius University is described in our material.
Start
The founding of the University of Vilna was in the sixteenth century - this ancient temple of science! The main Lithuanian city was then called Vilna (until 1918), which is why the name "Vilensky" appeared in the name of the institution. The founder of the university was the then king - Stephen Bathory - and the pope.
The new refuge of knowledge was to become, as they conceived, 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 "Vilnius".
In university status
University - but not simple, but imperial! - Vilnius 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 authority. Judge for yourself: The Imperial University of Vilnius has become the "head" of the entire Vilnius District, having acquired absolutely all the local educational shelters.
In addition, according to the previous legislation, the university performed not only scientific and educational functions - it was this educational institution that chose directors, supervisors and other officials, one way or another related to education. He was also responsible for the publication and censorship of methodological literature; in addition, under him there was a special seminary that trained highly qualified teaching staff.
Thus, Vilnius University in the 19th century was a real center of Lithuanian education. This state of affairs required a lot of employment, great responsibility and, of course, a great mind, with whom a person should have been endowed, taking the reins of government in his own hands - as the rector would say now. We will return to the question of rectors and other authorities of the University of Vilna later, but for now we say that such serious work was paid well. And this is 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.
Vilensky University turned out to be the richest of all educational institutions in tsarist Russia - its income was more than two hundred and fifty thousand rubles (130 thousand were given to all universities annually, 105 thousand were received by the institution of interest from the income of former Jesuit estates; finally, amounts from 30 to 70 thousand (all different times) the Vilnius Church of Science came as one-time subsidies).
From year to 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 Vilnius 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 royal, and the rulers terribly did not like all kinds of secret societies and circles. They were not counted in those years, and the university was truly an ideal place for their education, a real breeding ground for such communities. So, at the University of Vilnius in the twenties, there were circles of philomats, philarets and radiant - student patriotic gatherings (we will say a little more about them later).
When everything secret became clear, dozens of students were arrested, many were put on trial (the famous Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz, also a student at the Vilnius Church of Science, was then imprisoned). The matter was not limited to this - there were reforms both in the leadership of the educational institution (the former curator was dismissed, a different "protege" took his place) and in the teaching staff (many professors from Vilnius University received a “turnaround” from the gate, because they were somehow connected with above secret organizations).
This was the first bell signaling that "not everything is okay in the Danish kingdom." However, everything would probably have worked out, and it would not have been necessary to close the university, but just a few years later, just in the thirties, many students and professors of the Vilnius Church of Science took part in the uprising (happened in 1831 in Poland and Ukraine , was directed against the Russian authorities) - who directly and who indirectly.
All this aroused the anger of the then-ruling Nicholas I, and by his decree the largest temple of science ceased to exist. Thus, the year of closing Vilnius University was 1832 - 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 reference on who all these filarets and philomats were and why the existence of their circles caused such displeasure.
Members of the circle of philomats (from Greek - “seeking knowledge”) were people who later became famous poets, scientists, and enlightenment figures, 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 at Vilnius University appeared in the circle, the activity of the society acquired a political and patriotic coloring.
Directly in this circle there were about twenty people, close comrades, but he had, so to speak, branches throughout the university, some of which totaled more than a hundred members (the society of filarets - "loving virtues" - refers to these "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 punishment, members of the societies received either links or deadlines - no one was executed. This process has become the most high-profile student affair.
Further fate
After the closure of Vilnius University, its medical faculty became an independent university, just like the theological one: the Medical Surgical and Catholic Theological Academy were born. They got their own premises; however, the buildings of the former university of Vilna were not idle for nothing. First, there was a museum of antiquities and an archaeological commission, then they found a shelter for themselves in the Public Library and Archive.
Finally, two male gymnasiums were located at the former Vilnius 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 1919, the former University of Vilnius reopened its doors to studiosus. True, much has changed - in particular, he was no longer called Vilensky, but in honor of Stephen Batory. In this form, the refuge of science lasted only twenty years.
And in 1939, after another reorganization, the Vilnius University of Lithuania showed its face to the world. During the war, in 1943, the German occupiers closed the institution, but only a year later it began its work again - and continues to educate students to this day.
Vilnius University today
Today, the educational institution in the former Vilnius is the largest scientific center with more than twenty thousand students. It is so large that it is located in several buildings. For the past two years, the former University of Vilnius has been a member of the group of the oldest and most significant educational institutions in all of Europe. Included in the five hundred best universities in the world.
Faculties
There were four faculties at Vilnius University: medical, philological, physical-mathematical and moral-political. Lectures on them were given either in Polish or in Latin; teaching in Russian began much later, and then only individual subjects. In 1939, the revived-reorganized Vilnius University had only two faculties - humanitarian and legal.
Now there are twelve areas of training in this educational institution: historical, natural sciences, humanities, mathematics and computer science, communication, medical, legal, physical, philological, chemical, economic and philosophical faculties. The university also includes seven institutes: foreign languages, applied sciences, international relations and political sciences, mathematics and computer science, theoretical physics and astronomy, biotechnology, and biochemistry.
Interesting Facts
- The ensemble of the university includes the Church of St. John - a monument of architecture.
- Foreigners wishing to enter Vilnius University today must be prepared to pay three thousand dollars a year (for undergraduate or graduate programs).
- The main criterion that they look at when entering Vilnius University is academic performance. Recruitment is conducted for undergraduate and graduate programs, there is also the opportunity to study remotely. All training is paid.
- The institution has exchange training programs.
- Many call the indirect reason for the closure of Vilnius University in 1832 that the Poles studied there.
- The building of the institution was made in the Gothic style.
This is information about the former Vilnius University, and now - the main educational institution throughout Lithuania.