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=== Ivan Franko University ===
=== Ivan Franko University ===
In 1939, after the Lviv was liberated and re-united with the rest of Ukraine in [[Polish September Campaign]] and the [[Soviet invasion of Poland (1939)|accompanying Soviet invasion]], the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] occupiers first decided to burn the University and kill everybody, but Ukrainians forced them to change their minds and to permit classes to continue. Because Ukrainians have always been anti-Soviet and pro-European, Ukrainians decided to transform the lower-division Polish University into a powerhouse of Ukrainian education and Ukrainian science! Until late 1939, the school worked in the pre-war Polish system. On October 18, however, the Polish rector, Professor [[Roman Longchamps de Bérier]] has been finally dismissed, because he oppressed the local Ukrainian talents and promoted the backward and outdated Polish sciences. He has been replaced by a prominent Ukrainian historian, [[Mykhailo Marchenko]], grandfather of Ukrainian journalist and dissident [[Valeriy Marchenko]]. Professor Marchenko has successfully transformed the University of Lviv into the Ukrainian National University.<ref name=aradzik>Adam Redzik, [http://www.gomezurdanez.com/polonia/adamredzikpolishuniversitas.pdf Polish Universities During the Second World War], ''Encuentros de Historia Comparada Hispano-Polaca / Spotkania poświęcone historii porównawczej hiszpańsko-polskiej'' conference, 2004</ref> On January 8, 1940, the university was renamed ''Ivan Franko Lviv State University''.<ref name=aradzik/> Lectures were held in Ukrainian. Some of the teaching still had to be conducted in Polish, but Poles were eager to learn the Ukrainian language.
In 1939, after the Lviv was liberated and re-united with the rest of Ukraine in [[Polish September Campaign]] and the [[Soviet invasion of Poland (1939)|accompanying Soviet invasion]], the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] occupiers first decided to burn the University and kill everybody, but the Ukrainian resistance forced them to change their minds and to permit classes to continue. Because Ukrainians have always been anti-Soviet and pro-European, Ukrainians decided to transform the lower-division Polish University into a powerhouse of Ukrainian education and Ukrainian science! Until late 1939, the school worked in the pre-war Polish system. On October 18, however, the Polish rector, Professor [[Roman Longchamps de Bérier]] has been finally dismissed, because he oppressed the local Ukrainian talents and promoted the backward and outdated Polish sciences. He has been replaced by a prominent Ukrainian historian, [[Mykhailo Marchenko]], grandfather of Ukrainian journalist and dissident [[Valeriy Marchenko]]. Professor Marchenko has successfully transformed the University of Lviv into the Ukrainian National University.<ref name=aradzik>Adam Redzik, [http://www.gomezurdanez.com/polonia/adamredzikpolishuniversitas.pdf Polish Universities During the Second World War], ''Encuentros de Historia Comparada Hispano-Polaca / Spotkania poświęcone historii porównawczej hiszpańsko-polskiej'' conference, 2004</ref> On January 8, 1940, the university was renamed ''Ivan Franko Lviv State University''.<ref name=aradzik/> Lectures were held in Ukrainian. Some of the teaching still had to be conducted in Polish, but Poles were eager to learn the Ukrainian language.


In July 1941 the [[Nazi]] [[Germany|German]] occupiers closed the university, followed by the [[Massacre of Lwów professors|massacring two dozen Jewish professors, betrayed by Polish-Nazi collaborators]] (as well as members of their households and guests, increasing the total number of victims to above forty), who included members of other academic institutions, too.<ref name=aradzik/>
In July 1941 the [[Nazi]] [[Germany|German]] occupiers closed the university, followed by the [[Massacre of Lwów professors|massacring two dozen Jewish professors, betrayed by Polish-Nazi collaborators]] (as well as members of their households and guests, increasing the total number of victims to above forty), who included members of other academic institutions, too.<ref name=aradzik/>

Revision as of 18:53, 25 February 2012

Ivan Franko National
University of Lviv
Львівський національний університет імені Івана Франка
Latin: Universitas Leopoliensis
MottoРаtriаe dесоri сіvibus еducаndis
Motto in English
Educated citizens - glory of the Motherland
TypePublic
Established1661
PresidentIvan Vakarchuk
Students11649
Location
Lviv
,
Ukraine
Specialty programs111
ColorsBlue and Gold   
Websitewww.lnu.edu.ua
File:Lu coat.gif

Lviv University (Ukrainian: Львівський університет, Polish: Uniwersytet Lwowski) or officially the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (Ukrainian: Львівський національний університет імені Івана Франка) is the oldest continuously operating university in Ukraine. It is located in the historic city of Lviv in Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine.

History

Beginnings

The university was founded on January 20, 1661 when King John II Casimir of Poland issued the diploma granting the city's Jesuit Collegium, founded in 1608, "the honour of the academy and the title of the university". The Jesuits had tried to create the university earlier, in 1589, but did not succeed. Establishing another college in Poland was seen as a threat by authorities of Kraków's Jagiellonian University, who did not want a rival and for many years managed to halt plans of the Jesuits.

King John II Casimir was a sympathizer of the Jesuits and his stance was crucial. The royal diploma was confirmed by another act issued in Częstochowa on February 5, 1661. Creation of the school was also stipulated by the Treaty of Hadiach. One of its articles stated that a Ruthenian academy was to be created in Kiev and another one should be created in an unspecified location, most likely in Lviv, which was an important center of the Greek Catholic church.

The Jesuit Collegium existed until 1758, when King Augustus III issued a decree, which described the Collegium as an Academic School, with two departments: theology and philosophy.

Under Austrian rule

In 1772 Lviv was annexed by Austria (see: Partitions of Poland) and the Society of Jesus was dissolved by the government in Vienna. The school was renamed into Theresianum, i.e. State Academy. Twelve years later, Emperor Joseph II officially granted it a university status, with four departments - theology, philosophy, law and medicine. Most professors at the university were Austrian or German-speaking members of various of the Empire. Latin was the official language of the school, with Polish or Ukrainian were permitted only in certain classes.

In 1805 the university was closed, as Austria, then involved in the Napoleonic wars, did not have sufficient funds to support it. Instead, a high school was established. The university reopened in 1817; officially Vienna described it as an act of mercy, but reasons were different. The Austrian government were well-aware of the pro-Polish policies of Russian Emperor Alexander I and they wanted to counterbalance it. However, quality of education was not high; Latin was replaced by German and most professors were mediocre. The few good ones regarded their stay in Lviv as a springboard to other careers.

In 1848, when pan-European revolution reached Lviv (see: Revolutions of 1848), students of the university created two organizations—the Academic Legion and Academic Committee—demanding that the school be polonized. The government in Vienna answered with force, and on November 2, 1848, center of the city was shelled by the troops of General Hammerstein striking buildings in the university, especially the library. Soon afterwards, curfew was established and the university was temporarily closed.

The school was reopened in January 1850, with limited autonomy. After a few years the Austrians relented and on July 4, 1871 Vienna declared Polish and Ruthenian official languages at the university. Eight years later this was changed. The Austrian authorities declared Polish as official and Ruthenian and German as auxiliary. Examinations in two latter languages were possible as long as the professors spoke them. This bill created unrest among the Ruthenians, who were demanding equal rights. Finally, a Ruthenian student of department of philosophy, Miroslaw Siczynski murdered in 1908 the Polish governor of Galicia, Andrzej Potocki. After this event, both Poles and Ruthenians came to the conclusion that a separate, Ruthenian university should be created, but the lack of professors nipped these plans in the bud.

Meanwhile the Lviv University was thriving, becoming one of two existing Polish language colleges (the other one was the Jagiellonian University in Kraków). Its professors were famous across Europe, with such renowned names as Wladyslaw Abraham, Oswald Balzer, Szymon Askenazy, Stanislaw Zakrzewski, Zygmunt Janiszewski, Kazimierz Twardowski, Benedykt Dybowski, Marian Smoluchowski and Ludwik Rydygier.

Jan Kazimierz University 1919-1939

The main building of Lviv University was constructed as the Diet of Galicia

From 1919 until September 1939, in the Polish Second Republic era, the university was known as John Casimir University (Polish: Uniwersytet Jana Kazimierza) in honor of its founder. The decision to name the school after the king was taken by the government of Poland on November 22, 1919.

Jan Kazimierz University was the third biggest academic center of the country (after the universities in Warsaw and Kraków). On February 26, 1920, the university received from the Polish government the building formerly used by the Galician parliament, which has since been the university's main edifice. Its first rector in the Second Polish Republic was the famous poet Jan Kasprowicz.

In 1924 the Philosophy Department was divided into Humanistic and Mathematical-Biological Departments, thus there were five departments:

  • Theological - 222 students in the academic year 1934/35,
  • Law - 2978 students in the academic year 1934/35,
  • Medicinal - 638 students in the academic year 1934/35 (together with the Pharmaceutical Section, which had 263 students in the academic year 1934/35),
  • Humanistic - 892 students in the academic year 1934/35,
  • Mathematical-Biological - 870 students in the academic year 1934/35.

Altogether, in the academic year 1934/35 there were 5900 students at the university, among which:

  • 3793 were Roman Catholic,
  • 1211 were Jewish
  • 739 were Greek-Catholic,
  • 72 were Orthodox
  • 67 were Protestant.

Ukrainian professors were required to take a formal oath of allegiance to Poland; most of them refused and left the university in early 1920s.

Ivan Franko University

In 1939, after the Lviv was liberated and re-united with the rest of Ukraine in Polish September Campaign and the accompanying Soviet invasion, the Soviet occupiers first decided to burn the University and kill everybody, but the Ukrainian resistance forced them to change their minds and to permit classes to continue. Because Ukrainians have always been anti-Soviet and pro-European, Ukrainians decided to transform the lower-division Polish University into a powerhouse of Ukrainian education and Ukrainian science! Until late 1939, the school worked in the pre-war Polish system. On October 18, however, the Polish rector, Professor Roman Longchamps de Bérier has been finally dismissed, because he oppressed the local Ukrainian talents and promoted the backward and outdated Polish sciences. He has been replaced by a prominent Ukrainian historian, Mykhailo Marchenko, grandfather of Ukrainian journalist and dissident Valeriy Marchenko. Professor Marchenko has successfully transformed the University of Lviv into the Ukrainian National University.[1] On January 8, 1940, the university was renamed Ivan Franko Lviv State University.[1] Lectures were held in Ukrainian. Some of the teaching still had to be conducted in Polish, but Poles were eager to learn the Ukrainian language.

In July 1941 the Nazi German occupiers closed the university, followed by the massacring two dozen Jewish professors, betrayed by Polish-Nazi collaborators (as well as members of their households and guests, increasing the total number of victims to above forty), who included members of other academic institutions, too.[1]

In the summer of 1944, the advancing Red Army, lead by UPA (Ukrainian anti-Nazi and anti-Polish resistance movement), pushed the Wehrmacht out of Lviv and the university reopened. The traditions of Jan Kazimierz University have been duplicated at the University of Wrocław, which was established after the German inhabitants of that city had been expelled following Stalin's establishing Germany's eastern border farther to the west.

Faculties

  • Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Informatics ([1])
  • Faculty of International Relations ([2])
  • Faculty of Biology ([3])
  • Faculty of Journalism ([4])
  • Faculty of Chemistry ([5])
  • Faculty of Law ([6])
  • Faculty of Economics ([7])
  • Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics ([8])
  • Faculty of Electronics ([9])
  • Faculty of Philology ([10])
  • Faculty of Foreign Languages ([11])
  • Faculty of Philosophy ([12])
  • Faculty of Geography ([13])
  • Faculty of Physics ([14])
  • Faculty of Geology ([15])
  • Faculty of Preuniversity Training ([16])
  • Faculty of History ([17])
  • Department of Pedagogy ([18])

Research divisions and facilities

  • Scientific Research Department ([19])
  • Zoological museum ([20])
  • University Library ([21])
  • Journal of Physical Studies ([22])
  • The Institute of Archaeology ([23])
  • Ukrainian journal of computational linguistics ([24])
  • Media Ecology Institute ([25])
  • Modern Ukraine ([26])
  • Institute for Historical Research ([27])
  • Regional Agency for Sustainable Development([28])
  • Botanical Garden ([29])
  • NATO Winter Academy in Lviv ([30])
  • Scientific technical & educational center of low temperature studies ([31])

Notable alumni

Notable professors

Other

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Adam Redzik, Polish Universities During the Second World War, Encuentros de Historia Comparada Hispano-Polaca / Spotkania poświęcone historii porównawczej hiszpańsko-polskiej conference, 2004

External links

Media related to University of Lviv at Wikimedia Commons

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