Description of the attraction
As you know, various educational institutions rarely become attractions, but there are still exceptions. Vilnius University is one of the oldest in all of Eastern Europe. In addition, this university is considered one of the largest higher institutions, educational and scientific centers not only in Vilnius, but throughout Lithuania.
The university is believed to have been inaugurated in 1579 when the Jesuit College, which had existed since 1570, was reformed and renamed as a higher education institution. But in 1773 the Jesuit Order was suspended, and the university passed into the hands of the secular authorities. For quite a long time this university was considered the only one in Lithuania and gained fame and fame far beyond the borders of its country. It was in Vilnius University that students and professors from Italy, Scotland, England, Denmark and other countries of Western Europe gathered.
In 1832, Tsar Nicholas I ordered the closure of the university, considering the educational institution the center of revolutionary sentiments and the epicenter of dangerous free-thinking. Almost a hundred years passed, and only in 1919 the university resumed its work.
If we take into account the history of the development of the university, then we can safely say how much it has grown, because its buildings are located not only in the city, but also outside it. The history of the development of Vilnius University began in the Old Town, which now has 12 buildings of an educational institution. Of particular interest is the artistic decoration of the large courtyard of the university. The courtyard is formed by the buildings of the university, the oldest of which is the building of the 16th century, and the most modern one is the building of the 19th century.
The church and the bell tower of St. John are completing the formation of the courtyard. At the same time, elements of three different styles take part in the style of the courtyard: classicism, baroque and renaissance. In this part of the university, the atmosphere of an Italian courtyard reigns, because numerous arches are transferred to the Renaissance. There are memorial plaques on the facade of the building, on which you can get acquainted with the names of professors or rectors who made Vilnius University famous.
The university library was founded exactly one year later than the famous and popular Oxford library. It is considered the largest library in Lithuania. Even now, several thousand copies of books from the 17th-19th centuries are kept in it, and in total the library has more than 5 million different volumes.
The library consists of several rooms, which are united by a combination of different architectural styles. On the first floor of the library there is the Smuglevich Hall, which is the oldest of all the halls of the library. For two years (from 1802 to 1804) Frantisek Smuglevich, who is the author of amazing frescoes decorated with biblical subjects and decorating the ceiling and walls of the library hall, was engaged in the design of the interior decoration of the hall. The frescoes were subject to restoration in the first half of the 20th century. At the moment, the hall hosts permanent exhibitions, which showcase unique manuscripts and manuscripts.
Now the university consists of 12 faculties, 10 research centers and 8 institutes. In addition, the Vilnius educational institution includes: three university hospitals, a botanical garden, an astronomical observatory, a computer center, as well as the Church of St. John and a library.
According to some data, at the beginning of 2005, 22618 students studied at the University of Vilnius, and in 2006 there were already 25014 students. The teaching staff in 2009 amounted to 1309 employees, including 545 associate professors and 197 professors.
In addition, Vilnius University is part of the Utrecht Network, an association of European universities. In 2008, he took part in the world university rankings for the first time, taking 501st place out of 600.
Among the renowned graduates of the famous university are: Juliusha Slovatsky and Adam Mitskevich - Polish poets, Taras Shevchenko - Ukrainian poet, Yanka Kupala - Belarusian poet and many other outstanding people famous all over the world.
