Academia et Universitas Vilnensis Societatis Jesu (1579) Principal School of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1783) Principal School of Vilnius (1795) Imperial University of Vilnius (1803) Stephen Bathory University (1919) State University of Vilnius (1944) [1]
Vilnius University (Lithuanian: Vilniaus universitetas) is a publicresearch university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Eastern Europe. Today, it is Lithuania's leading research institution, ranked among the Top 29% Higher Education Institutions in the world.[5]
The university was founded in 1579 as the Jesuit Academy (College) of Vilnius by Stephen Báthory. It was the third oldest university (after the Cracow Academy and the Albertina) in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Due to the failure of the November Uprising (1830–1831), the university was closed down and suspended its operation until 1919. In the aftermath of World War I, the university saw failed attempts to restart it by the local Poles, Lithuanians, and by invading Soviet forces. It finally resumed operations as Polish Stefan Batory University in August 1919.
The university has facilities in Kaunas and Šiauliai. It has 15 academic faculties that offer more than 200 study programs for over 24,000 students.[4] Non-academic departments of the university include the Cultural Centre, Health and Sports Centre, Library, Museum, Botanical Gardens and other institutions. Since 2016, Vilnius University has been a member of a network of prestigious universities–the Coimbra Group–and since 2019, it has belonged to the European University Alliance (ARQU).[7]
The Vilnius University Foundation was established on 6 April 2016, becoming the first university endowment in Lithuania.[8] Underground beneath the old university's building is the cenotaph of 11 Old Prussian tribes along with the small temple of four gods and four goddesses from Baltic mythology.[9]
History
Changes of the name
The university has been known by many names during its history. Due to its long history of Jewish, Polish and Russian influence or rule, the city portion of its name is rendered as Vilna (Latin), Wilna (German) or Wilno (Polish), in addition to Lithuanian Vilnius (see History of Vilnius).
1579–1782: Alma Academia et Universitas Vilnensis Societatis Iesu.[10] The Latin name is rendered into English as Jesuit Academy, Jesuit College, or Academy of Vilnius (Vilna/Wilna/Wilno).[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]
1971–1979: Vilnius Order of the Red Banner of Labour State University of Vincas Kapsukas (Vilniaus Darbo raudonosios vėliavos ordino valstybinis Vinco Kapsuko universitetas)
Founding of the University of Vilnius by Stephen Báthory in 1579
In 1568, the Lithuanian nobility[33] asked the Jesuits to create an institution of higher learning either in Vilnius or Kaunas. The following year Walerian Protasewicz, the bishop of Vilnius, purchased several buildings in the city center and established the Vilnian Academy (Almae Academia et Universitas Vilnensis Societatis Jesu). Initially, the academy had three divisions: humanities, philosophy, and theology. The curriculum at the college and later at the academy was taught in Latin.[34][35] The first students were enrolled into the academy in 1570. A library at the college was established in the same year, and Sigismund II Augustus donated 2500 books to the new college.[33] In its first year of existence the college enrolled 160 students.[33]
In 1575, Duke Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł and Elżbieta Ogińska 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 Kathechismas, arba Mokslas kiekvienam krikščioniui privalus authored by Mikalojus Daukša.
The academy's growth continued until the 17th century. The Deluge era that followed led to a dramatic drop in the number of students who matriculated and in the quality of its programs. In the middle of the 18th century, education 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 Żebrowski. The Commission of National Education (Polish: Komisja Edukacji Narodowej), the world's first ministry of education, took control of the academy in 1773, and transformed it into a modern University. The language of instruction (as everywhere in the commonwealth's higher education institutions) changed from Latin to Polish.[36][37][38] Thanks to the rector of the academy, Marcin Poczobutt-Odlanicki, the academy was granted the status of "Principal School" (Polish: Szkoła Główna) 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.
Partitions
The Grand Courtyard of Vilnius University and the Church of St. John, Jan Kazimierz Wilczyński, drawing, circa 1850
The university flourished. It used Polish as the instructional language, although Russian was added to the curriculum.[35][39] It became known for its studies of Belarusian and Lithuanian culture.[39] By 1823, it was one of the largest in Europe; the student population exceeded that of the Oxford University. A number of students, among them poet Adam Mickiewicz, were arrested in 1823 for conspiracy against the tsar (membership in Filomaci). In 1832, after the November Uprising, the university was closed by Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.
Two of the faculties were turned into separate schools: the Medical and Surgical Academy (Akademia Medyko-Chirurgiczna) and the Roman Catholic Academy (Rzymsko-Katolicka Akademia Duchowna). But soon they were closed as well with Medical and Surgical Academy transformed into Medical faculty of University of Kyiv (now Bogomolets National Medical University), and latter one being transformed into Saint Petersburg Roman Catholic Theological Academy (after the October Revolution of 1917 moved to Poland where it became Catholic University of Lublin). The repression that followed the failed uprising included banning the Polish and Lithuanian languages; all education in those languages was halted.
1918–1939
The first attempts to reestablish scientific institution in Vilnius were made after the 1905 revolution; on 22 October 1906 the Society of Friends of Science in Wilno (TPN) was created by the Polish intelligentsia. After the outbreak of World War I and the German occupation of the city TPN made an attempt to recreate a university with a creation of so-called Higher Scientific Courses.[40] Unfortunately both TPN and the Courses were soon closed by German officials.[40]
The university quickly recovered and gained international prestige, largely because of the presence of notable scientists such as Władysław Tatarkiewicz, Marian Zdziechowski, and Henryk Niewodniczański. Among the students of the university at that time was future Nobel prize winner Czesław Miłosz. The university grew quickly, thanks to government grants and private donations. Its library contained 600,000 volumes, including historic and cartographic items which are still in its possession.[42]
In 1938 the university had:
7 institutes
123 professors
104 scientific units (including two hospitals)
3110 students
The university's international students included 212 Russians, 94 Belarusians, 85 Lithuanians, 28 Ukrainians and 13 Germans.[43] Anti-Semitism increased during the 1930s and a system of ghetto benches, in which Jewish students were required to sit in separate areas, was instituted at the university.[44][45] Violence erupted; the university was closed for two weeks during January 1937.[44] In February Jewish students were denied entrance to its grounds.[44] The faculty was then authorized to decide on an individual basis whether the segregation should be observed in their classrooms and expel those students who would not comply.[44] 54 Jewish students were expelled but were allowed to return the next day under a compromise in which in addition to Jewish students, Lithuanian, Belarusian, and "Polish democratic" students were to be seated separately.[44] Rector of the university, Władysław Marian Jakowicki, resigned his position in protest over the introduction of the ghetto benches.[46]
World War II
Following the invasion of Poland the university continued its operations. The city was soon occupied by the Soviet Union. Most of the professors returned after the hostilities ended, and the faculties 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.[47] The university was closed on 15 December 1939 by the authorities of the Republic of Lithuania.[31] All the faculty, staff, and its approximately 3,000 students dismissed.[48] Students were ordered to leave the dormitories; 600 ended in a refugee camp.[31] Professors had to leave their university flats. Following the Lithuanization policies, in its place, a new university, named Vilniaus universitetas, was created. Its faculty came from the Kaunas University.[31] The new 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 was named as the official language of the university.[31] A new academic term started on 22 January; only 13 of the new students had former Polish citizenship.[31]
Polish Law and Social Sciences, Humanities, Medical, Theological, Mathematical-Life sciences faculties continued to work underground with lectures and exams held in private flats until 1944.[49] Polish professors who took part in the underground courses included Iwo Jaworski, Kazimierz Petrusewicz and Bronisław Wróblewski.[49] The diplomas of the underground universities were accepted by many Polish universities after the war. Soon after the annexation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union, while some Polish professors were allowed to resume teaching, many others (along with some Lithuanian professors) who were deemed "reactionary" were arrested and sent to prisons and gulags in Russia and Kazakhstan. Between September 1939 and July 1941, the Soviets arrested and deported nineteen Polish faculty and ex-faculty of the University of Stefan Batory, of who nine perished: Professors Stanisław Cywinski, Władysław Marian Jakowicki, Jan Kempisty, Józef Marcinkiewicz, Tadeusz Kolaczyński, Piotr Oficjalski, Włodzimierz Godłowski, Konstanty Pietkiewicz, and Konstanty Sokol-Sokolowski, the last five victims of the Katyn massacre.[48]
The city was occupied by Germany in 1941, and all institutions of higher education for Poles were closed. From 1940 until September 1944, under Lithuanian professor and activist Mykolas Biržiška, the University of Vilnius was open for Lithuanian students under the supervision of the German occupation authorities.[50] In 1944, many of Polish students took part in Operation Ostra Brama. The majority of them were later arrested by the NKVD and suffered repressions from their participation in the Armia Krajowa resistance.
Soviet period (1945-1990)
Petras Repšys’ fresco "The Seasons of the Year" (painted in 1976–1984) with motifs from Baltic mythology at the Centre of Lithuanian Studies
Educated Poles were transferred to People's Republic of Poland after World War II under the guidance of State Repatriation Office. As the result, many former students and professors of Stefan Batory joined universities in Poland. To keep in 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 Toruń, while a number of the medical faculty formed the core of the newly founded Medical University of Gdańsk. The Toruń university is often considered to be the successor to the Polish traditions of Stefan Batory University.
In modern times, the university still offers studies with internationally recognized content. There are 3 Bachelor and 16 Master study programs in English.
The Senate of Vilnius University during the celebration of the beginning of the study year
As of 1 March 2020, there were 19,996 students attending Vilnius University.[4]
Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences - Established in 1784,[55] The Department of Chemistry of the Vilnius University was established in 1784.[55] it provides education and training for chemistry and geosciences specialists and organizes research in these scientific domains.[56]
The old campus of Vilnius University consists of 13 buildings and 13 courtyards.[59] At present the Rector's Office, the Library, the Faculties of Philology, Philosophy, and History are situated there. The largest courtyards are:
P. Skargos (The main) courtyard;
M. K. Sarbievijaus courtyard;
Library courtyard;
Observatory courtyard.
Faculties of Physics, Economy, Law, and Communication, as well as Business School, Life Sciences Center, and Scholarly Communication and Information Centre are located in Saulėtekis district.
Vilnius University is ranked 423 among World top universities by 2021 QS World University Rankings. In 2020 QS WU Rankings by Subject, Vilnius University is ranked 201–250 in Linguistics and 251–300 in Physics and Astronomy. In QS rankings of Emerging Europe and Central Asia, Vilnius University is ranked 18.[66]
Vilnius University is ranked 635 in the world by Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report.[67]
Projects
Recent and ongoing projects at Vilnius University include:
"Laser Spectrometer for Testing of Coatings of Crystals and Optical Components in Wide Spectral and Angle Range".[68]NATO Science for Peace programme project. NATO SfP-972534. 1999–2002.
"Cell biology and lasers: towards new technologies". Vilnius University - UNESCO Associated Centre of Excellence.[69]
"Science and Society: Genomics and Benefit Sharing with Developing Countries - From Biodiversity to Human Genomics (GenBenefit)". Doc. E. Gefenas (Faculty of Medicine). 2006–2009.
"Citizens and governance in a knowledge-based society: Social Inequality and Why It Matters for the Economic and Democratic Development of Europe and Its Citizens. Post-Communist Central and Eastern Europe in Comparative Perspective (EUREQUAL)." Doc. A. Poviliūnas (Faculty of Philosophy). 2006–2009.
"Marie Curie Chairs: Centre for Studies and Training Experiments with Lasers and Laser Applications (STELLA[70])" A. Dubietis (Faculty of Physics). 2006–2009.
"Research Infrastructure Action: Integrated European Laser Laboratories (LaserLab-Europe)". Prof. A. Piskarskas (Faculty of Physics). 2004–2007.
"Nanotechnology and nanoscieces, knowledge-based multifunctional materials, new production processes and devices: Cell Programming by Nanoscaled Devices (CellPROM)". Prof. A. Kareiva (Faculty of Chemistry). 2004–2009.
Advanced European Infrastructures for Detectors at Accelerators - AIDA-2020 (Institute of Applied Research, Faculty of Physics). J.V.Vaitkus, G. Tamulaitis. 2015–2019.
EU-STRAT - The EU and Eastern Partnership Countries: An Inside-Out Analysis and Strategic Assessment (EU-STRAT) (Institute of International Relations and Political Science). R.Vilpišauskas. 2016–2019.
European Network of Research Ethics and Research Integrity. European Ethics and Research Integrity Network. E. Gefenas (Faculty of Medicine). 2016–2019.
International relations
Vilnius University has signed more than 180 bilateral cooperation agreements with universities in 41 countries.
Under Erasmus+ programme the university has over 800 agreements with 430 European and 55 agreements with partner country universities for the academic exchanges.
University students actively participate in such exchange programmes as ERASMUS+, ERASMUS MUNDUS, ISEP, AEN-MAUI and CREPUQ.
The university is a signatory of the Magna Charta of European universities and a member of the International Association of Universities, European University Association, the Conference of Baltic University Rectors, the Utrecht Network, UNICA Network, and the Baltic Sea Region University Network. In addition, Vilnius University has been invited to join the Coimbra Group, a network of prestigious European universities, from 1 January 2016.
People
Adam Mickiewicz, considered one of the greatest European poetsArtūras Žukauskas with Vilnius University's rector's outfit and sceptre
Nobel Prize winners
Czesław Miłosz, poet, The Nobel Prize in Literature 1980
^Potrzebowski, Stanisław (2016). Słowiański ruch Zadruga [Slavic movement Zadruga] (in Polish). Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Triglav. p. 188. ISBN9788362586967. W zabytkowych pomieszczeniach starego Uniwersytetu w Wilnie na piętrze znajduje się kenotaf, symboliczny grobowiec jedenastu pruskich plemion, a w podziemiach mała świątynia poświęcona czterem bałtyjskim Bogom i czterem bałtyjskim Boginiom. (In the antique rooms of old Vilnius University on the [first] floor is located cenotaph, a symbolical tomb of eleven Old Prussian tribes, and in undergrounds is small temple dedicated for four baltic Gods and four baltic Goddesses.)
^Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; Centre for Co-operation with Non-members (2002). Lithuania. OECD Publishing. p. 201. ISBN978-92-64-18717-7. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
^ abMagdalena Gawrońska-Garstka, Uniwersytet Stefana Batorego w Wilnie. Uczelnia ziem północno-wschodnich Drugiej Rzeczypospolitej (1919-1939) w świetle źródeł, Poznań 2016 p. 17
Studia z dziejów Uniwersytetu Wileńskiego 1579–1979, K. Mrozowska, Kraków 1979.
Uniwersytet Wileński 1579–1979, M. Kosman, Wrocław 1981.
Vilniaus Universiteto istorija 1579–1803, Mokslas, Vilnius, 1976, 316 p.
Vilniaus Universiteto istorija 1803–1940, Mokslas, Vilnius, 1977, 341 p.
Vilniaus Universiteto istorija 1940–1979, Mokslas, Vilnius, 1979, 431 p.
Łossowski, Piotr (1991). Likwidacja Uniwersytetu Stefana Batorego przez władze litweskie w grudniu 1939 roku (in Polish). Warszawa: Interlibro. ISBN83-85161-26-0.
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