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Vilnius University
The Grand Courtyard of Vilnius University and the Church of St. John.; drawing circa 1850. 
The Grand Courtyard of Vilnius University and Church of St. John. 
A bronze door at the Vilnius University library commemorates the first Lithuanian book.
HistoryPolish-Lithuanian CommonwealthIn 1568, the Lithuanian nobility[1] asked the Jesuits to open an academy either in Vilnius or Kaunas. The following year Walerian Protasiewicz, the bishop of Vilnius, purchased several houses in the city centre and started the Vilnian Academy (Almae Academia et Universitas Vilnensis Societatis Jesu). Initially, the Academy had three divisions: humanities, philosophy, and theology. The teaching language in the College and later in the Academy was Latin[2]. As not all wanting to study knew Latin, but there were preliminary courses teaching Latin language. For example, in the beginning of 17th century there are records about special groups that taught Lithuanian speaking students Latin, most probably using Konstantinas Sirvydas compiled ditionary[3]. There are no records about groups preparing Polish speaking students. The first students enrolled in the Academy in 1570. A library by the college was established in the same year, and for a part of valuable Sigismund II Augustus library (2500 books) was transferred to the newly formed college in 1572[1]. After establishment in 1570 in the first year college had 160 students[1]. On April 1, 1579, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Stefan Batory, as a result of his recognition as the Grand Duke of Lithuania instead of Holy Roman Empire emperor Maximilian II, upgraded the academy and granted it equal rights with the Jagiellonian University of Kraków, creating the Almae Academia et Universitas Vilnensis Societatis Jesu. His edict was approved by Pope Gregory XIII's bull of October 30, 1579. The first rector of the Academy was Piotr Skarga. He invited many scientists from various parts of Europe and expanded the library, with the sponsorship of many notable persons: Sigismund II Augustus, Bishop Walerian Protasewicz, and the Marshal of the Crown, Kazimierz Lew Sapieha. Lithuanians at the time comprised about one third of the students (in 1568 there were circa 700 students), others were Germans, Poles, Swedes, and even Hungarians[1] First rector of the university from Lithuanian lands In 1575, Duke Miko?aj Krzysztof Radziwi?? and El?bieta Ogi?ska sponsored a printing house for the academy, one of the first in the region. The printing house issued books in Latin and Polish and the first surviving book in Lithuanian printed in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was in 1595. It was entitled Kathechismas, arba Mokslas kiekvienam krik??ioniui privalus, and was authored by Mikalojus Dauk?a. The Academy's growth continued until the 17th century. The following era, known as The Deluge, led to a dramatic drop in both the number of students that matriculated, and in the quality of its programs. In the middle of the 18th century, educational authorities tried to restore the Academy. This led to the foundation of the first observatory in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, (the fourth such professional facility in Europe), in 1753, by Tomasz ?ebrowski. The Commission of National Education (Komisja Edukacji Narodowej), the world's first ministry of education, took control of the Academy in 1773, and transformed it into a modern University. Thanks to the Rector of the Academy, Marcin Poczobutt-Odlanicki, the Academy was granted the status of Principal School (Szko?a G?ówna) in 1783. The Commission, the secular authority governing the academy after the dissolution of the Jesuit order, drew up a new statute. The school was named Academia et Universitas Vilnensis. PartitionsAfter the Partitions of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Vilnius (Wilno) was annexed by the Russian Empire. However, the Commission of National Education retained control over the Academy until 1803, when Tsar Alexander I of Russia accepted the new statute and renamed the Academy to The Imperial University of Vilna (???????????i? ???????i? ????????????). The institution was granted the rights to the administration of all educational facilities in the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Among the notable personae were the curator (governor) Adam Jerzy Czartoryski, and Rector Jan ?niadecki. The University flourished. By 1823, it was one of the largest in Europe; the number of students exceeded that of the Oxford University. A number of students were arrested in 1823 for conspiracy against the Tsar (membership in Filomaci). Among them was Adam Mickiewicz, who later became one of the most important poets of his time. In 1832, after the November Uprising, the University was closed by Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. 
...and in the 21st century After 1919After the Republic of Central Lithuania area was annexed by Poland, the Vilnian Academy was renamed Stefan Batory University (Uniwersytet Stefana Batorego) on August 20, 1919, by the act of Józef Pi?sudski. The University quickly recovered and gained international prestige, largely because of the presence of notable scientists such as W?adys?aw Tatarkiewicz, Marian Zdziechowski, and Henryk Niewodnicza?ski. Among the students of the University at that time was future Nobel prize winner Czes?aw Mi?osz. The University grew quickly, thanks to government grants and private donations. In 1938 the University had:
The University's international students included 212 Russians, 94 Belarusians, 85 Lithuanians, 28 Ukrainians and 13 Germans. World War IIFollowing the Invasion of Poland (1939) the University was closed. The city was soon occupied by the Soviet Union. Most of the professors returned to the university after the hostilities ended, and most of the faculties were reopened on October 1, 1939. On October 28, Vilnius was transferred to Lithuania which considered the previous eighteen years as an occupation by Poland of its capital.[4] The University was closed on December 15, and all staff and students dismissed. In its place the new university, named Vilniaus Universitetas, was created. The new University Charter specified that Vilnius University was to be governed according to the statute of the Vytautas Magnus University of Kaunas, and that Lithuanian language programs and faculties would be established. Lithuanian language was named as the official language of the university. Law and Social Sciences, Humanities, Medical, Theological, Mathematical-Life sciences faculties continued to work underground [5]. Soon after the annexation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union, most of the Polish and Lithuanian professors who were deemed reactionary were arrested and sent to prisons and gulags in Russia and Kazakhstan. The city was occupied by Germany in 1941, and all institutions of higher education for non-Germans were closed. However, the remaining Polish professors organized a system of secret education with lectures and exams held in private flats. The diplomas of the underground Universities were accepted by many Polish Universities after the War. In 1944, many of the students took part in Operation Ostra Brama. The majority of the them were later arrested by the NKVD and deported to the Soviet Union. Soviet period (1945-1990)Educated Poles were expelled from Lithuania after WWII http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~sarmatia/103/231editor.html. As the result many of former students and professors of Stefan Batory joined various universities in Poland. In order not to lose contact with each other, the professors decided to transfer whole faculties. After 1945, most of the mathematicians, humanists and biologists joined the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru?, while a number of the medical faculty formed the core of the newly-founded Medical University of Gda?sk. The Toru? university is often considered to be the successor to the Polish traditions of the Stefan Batory University. In 1955[6] the University was named after Vincas Kapsukas. After it had been awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1971 and the Order of Friendship of Peoples in 1979, its full name until 1990 was Vilnius Order of the Red Banner of Labour and Order of Friendship of Peoples V. Kapsukas State University.[6] Though restrained by the Soviet system, Vilnius University grew and gained significance and developed its own, Lithuanian identity. Vilnius University began to free itself from Soviet ideology in 1988, thanks to the policy of glasnost. After 1990On March 11, 1990, Lithuania declared independence, and the University regained autonomy. Since 1991, Vilnius University has been a signatory to the Magna Charta of the European Universities. The University is a member of the European University Association (EUA) and the Conference of Baltic University Rectors. Vilnius University today
The Vilnius University campus in the 19th century. 
The Grand Courtyard of Vilnius University. 
The Aula (or Hall) of Vilnius University in the Grand Courtyard. 
The Vilnius University Observatory. 
Petras Rep?ys? fresco "The Seasons of the Year" (painted in 1976-1984) with motifs from Baltic mythology at the Centre of Lithuanian Studies. 
Auditorium of Kazimieras B?ga. 
University's Aula 
Vilnius University featured on a litas commemorative coin released in 2004 to honor its 425th anniversary 
Commemorative bell in Vilnius University 
Layout of the Central Campus 
Vilnius University Coat of arms and flag In modern times, the University still offers studies with an internationally recognized content. As of January 1, 2007, there were 23,255 students studying at Vilnius University[7]. The current University Rector is Professor Benediktas Juodka of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. The University, specifically the courtyard, was featured in the American TV series the Amazing Race OrganizationThere are 12 faculties:
The university has a number of semi-autonomous institutes:
There are also several study and research centers at Vilnius University:
ProjectsA complete list of research projects may be found at http://www.vu.lt/en/research/research_activities/international_research_projects/. Recent and ongoing projects at Vilnius University include:
Nobel Prize winners
Notable professors and alumni of Vilnius University
Honorary Doctorates conferred by Vilnius University
Bibliography
See also
ReferencesExternal links
be:????????? ??????????? de:Universität Vilnius et:Vilniuse Ülikool es:Universitas Vilnensis fr:Université de Vilnius id:Universitas Vilnius lv:Vi??as universit?te lt:Vilniaus universitetas no:Vilnius universitet pl:Uniwersytet Wile?ski pt:Universidade de Vilnius ru:??????????? ??????????? sk:Vilniuska univerzita sv:Vilnius universitet uk:??????????? ??????????? Source: Wikipedia | The above article is available under the GNU FDL. | Edit this article
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