Jagiellonian University - date of foundation, history, faculties, famous alumni

 The Jagiellonian University is the oldest university in Poland, founded by Casimir the Great in the 14th century. Among her students, there were such important people for the old Polish history as Jan III Sobieski, Jan Długosz or Hugo Kołłątaj. Its graduates are well-known to us: writers, scientists, clergy and politicians. The oldest Polish university survived the difficult years of the partitions, and the university was able to resume its activity after the Second World War. Let's get to know its history.

The University of Kraków, or the Jagiellonian University, is the first university in Poland. It was founded and founded on May 12, 1364 by King Casimir the Great. At that time, the university was called the general study. When establishing the universities, they were modeled on the ones in Bologna and Padua at that time. It was also the second university in Central Europe after the one founded in Prague. One could acquire knowledge at three faculties: law (there were 8 departments), medicine (2 departments) and liberal arts (1 department). Unfortunately, when Kazimierz Wielki died, the university stopped working.

The first attempts to return to its functioning were made in the 1490s. However, its full reopening took place on July 26, 1400. This time it was founded by King Władysław Jagiełło. The genesis of this was simple: it was connected with the entry made in her will by Queen Jadwiga, who donated her jewels to the reactivation of the university. The structure of the university began to develop. On July 24, 1400, the first students were enrolled. New faculties and colleges were established: the theological faculty and the Royal Colleges, later the Great Colleges, that is Maius, and the Legal Colleges, Collegium Iuridicum and Philosophy, called Collegium Minus.

In the 15th century, the University was booming. Every year there were 200 new students from many European countries who particularly appreciated the possibility of learning mathematics, astronomy and law. The number of foreign students ceased in the 16th century, due to the Reformation and the development of universities in Europe. Moreover, with the introduction of privileges for the nobility and the reservation of certain functions for them in the state, studies ceased to be necessary for the exercise of higher offices. At that time, it was mostly of a bourgeois character, as townspeople constituted 60% of students. The rest were the nobility (30%) and peasants (10%). Back then, there were dormitories for students. At the end of the 16th century, the University operated under the name of the Krakow Academy.

In the 17th century, the Academy experienced a certain crisis related to the outflow of foreign students due to the Reformation and the conflict with the Jesuits. The eighteenth century, however, also meant numerous changes in the functioning of the university. It was related to the establishment of the National Education Commission in 1773 and the plans to reform the education system in Poland. The reform carried out by Hugo Kołłątaj, who was the university chancellor at the time, made a special mark in the history of the university.

First of all, the structure of the University was modified. Faculties were liquidated, and two colleges were established: Moral, conducting studies in law, literature and theology, and Physical, with specializations in medicine, physics and mathematics. Later, the Physical College was also established. An important change was that Polish became the language of instruction only, with the exception of theology. The university was then called the Main School of the Crown.

Then came the difficult years of partitions for the university. Originally, the later Jagiellonian University found itself in the Austrian partition as the Main School of Kraków. It was then that he fell victim to general Germanization. A time of relief in this regard was the period of the functioning of the Duchy of Warsaw and the incorporation of Kraków into it in 1809. On the other hand, under the provisions of the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Krakow became a Free City, and two years later the school received its current name: the Jagiellonian University. Unfortunately, in 1846 Krakow was re-incorporated into Austria, which again meant that German became the language of instruction. It is worth mentioning that the uprisings in which the students of the Jagiellonian University actively participated were both the Spring of Nations and the January Uprising. The Polish language returned to the University after Galicia was granted autonomy. At the end of the century, in 1887, Collegium Novum was founded.

The development of the Jagiellonian University after Poland regained independence in 1918 gained even greater pace, the number of students was constantly growing. This trend was brutally interrupted by the Second World War. The university has closed. 183 lecturers were deceitfully arrested at Collegium Novum by the Germans, a dozen were killed, some were taken to concentration camps, where about 30 died. Later, a dozen lecturers, taken prisoners, were murdered by the Russians in Katyn.

The activity of the University was resumed in 1945, however, during Stalinism, some faculties: theology, medicine and agriculture were closed, and many researchers were prevented from continuing their work. They were able to return to it only during the temporary thaw in 1956. In the following years of the People's Republic of Poland, demonstrations against the regime of the then power took place at the Jagiellonian University twice (in 1968 and 1981).

Currently, students of the Jagiellonian University (about 50,000 per year) study at 16 faculties. These students come from both the European Union and Eastern Europe (Ukraine and Belarus), but also from Asia and even Africa. 

The following departments of the Jagiellonian University are currently operating:

1. Law and Administration;

• Medical;
• Pharmaceutical;
• Health Sciences;
• Philosophical;
• Historical;
• Philological;
• Polish Studies;
• Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science;
• Mathematics and Informatics;
• Chemistry;
• Biology;
• Management and Social Communication;
• International and Political Studies;
• Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology;
• Geography and Geology.

Famous graduates and students or students of the Jagiellonian University (not all graduated):

1. Scientists:

• Nicolaus Copernicus,
• Ignacy Łukasiewicz,
• Bronisław Malinowski,
• Karol Olszewski

1. Writers and artists:

• Iwo Andrić,
• Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński,
• Jan Długosz,
• Andrzej Frycz-Modrzewski,
• Jan Kochanowski,
• Stanisław Lem,
• Wislawa Szymborska,
• Stanisław Wyspiański

1. Clergy:

• Hugo Kołłątaj,
• Franciszek Macharski,
• Pope John Paul II,
• Tadeusz Pieronek

1. Politicians:

• Zbigniew Ćwiąkalski,
• Andrzej Duda,
• Jarosław Gowin,
• Krzysztof Janik,
• Jerzy Jaskiernia,
• Bogdan Klich,
• Jan Rokita,
• Adam Daniel Rotfeld,
• Jan III Sobieski,
• Beata Szydło

Bibliography:

• History, https://www.uj.edu.pl/uni Uniwersytet-z-collegium-medicum/historia, and the official website of the Jagiellonian University, accessed on: 21/12/2020.
• S. Kostanecki, Jagiellonian University - Płock Mazowsze (1364-1964), "Notes Płockie" 9/1964.
• K. Lepszy, The history of the Jagiellonian University in the years 1364-1764, Volume I, Publishing House of the Jagiellonian University, Krakow 1964.
• K. Ożóg, Polish university historiography in the rhythm of jubilees. Comments on the research on the Old Polish history of the University of Krakow, "Historka. Methodological Studies ", Vol. 49/2019.
• K. Stopka, A. K. Banach, J. Dybiec, History of the Jagiellonian University, Jagiellonian University Press, Krakow 2000.
• Portal https://nauka-polska.pl, access: 21/12/2020.
• Portal orka.sejm.gov.pl, access: 21/12/2020.
• Jagiellonian University, https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/uni Uniwersytet-jagiellonski, accessed on: 21/12/2020.