St. Petersburg State University

To commemorate the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg State University's founding in 2024, the Presidential Library has created a special collection that covers not only the main stages in the university's history, but also certain aspects of its scientific and educational activities throughout its existence. The collection includes official and statutory documents, historical notes and memoirs of moderns, monographs and abstracts, archival files, as well as periodicals of the university and visual materials.

St. Petersburg State University is the oldest operating higher education institution in Russia and one of the country's leading research centers. The history of St. Petersburg University is closely linked to the establishment of the Academy of Sciences, which was founded on January 28, 1724. The Academy included not only scientific institutions, but was also the first educational center in the Russian Empire, as it included a University and a gymnasium. That is why now the official date of birth of the University is February 8 (according to the new style).

In July 1747, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna approved a new normative act of the educational institution – the "Regulations of the Academy of Sciences and Arts", which legitimized the status of professors and students, as well as documented the already existing important practices in the University's activities – holding public lectures, testing student works before the academic assembly. According to this document, the Academic University received a permanent staff consisting of six professors, and the position of rector was established. The first rector was G. F. Miller, who headed the Academic University from 1747 to 1750.

M. V. Lomonosov showed himself especially vividly during his time as rector. The time of his leadership (1758-1765) was marked by vigorous activity to introduce regular lectures on specialties, improve the material provision of university students and gymnasium pupils. However, many of Lomonosov's ambitious plans for reorganizing St. Petersburg University were rejected by the authorities and never came to realization.

The year 1783 marked a significant period in the history of the university, not only because it saw the transformation of the institution into a teacher's seminary, but also because it saw the appointment of E.R. Dashkova as the director of the Academy of Sciences. During Dashkova's tenure, the academic standing of the university strengthened as she carefully monitored students' academic performance, exam results, and living conditions.

In the same year, Catherine II donated a book collection of about 1,100 volumes by the Russian bibliophile P.F. Zhukov to the seminary holdings, which formed the foundation for the university's scientific library. To learn more about the development of the library, one can consult the archival records presented in the collection. ("The case of the extract of French works for the library of St. Petersburg University").

In 1804, the Teachers' Seminary was transformed into a Pedagogical Institute. The institute was headed not by an elected rector, but by an appointed director. Despite this, the director "enjoyed all the rights and privileges of a university" and continued the traditions of university education that had been established in the 1720s.

On February 8, 1819, according to the project of S.S. Uvarov, approved by Alexander I, the Main Pedagogical Institute was renamed as the University. Although no major organizational reforms took place, the university's acquisition of status and, as a result, its autonomy, opened up great opportunities for the academic community.

On October 31st, 1821, St. Petersburg University was awarded the title of Imperial by a decree.

According to the charter adopted in 1835, two faculties remained at the University - philosophy and law. History, philology, physics and mathematics were now part of the relevant departments of the philosophy faculty.

March 25th, 1838 marked the inauguration of the University in the newly reconstructed Twelve Colleges building, by order of Nicholas I.

The Charter of 1863 was more liberal than its predecessor, as it placed the university under the "hands" of professors, restoring the historical-philological and physical-mathematical faculties. Following the introduction of this charter, several scientific societies were established at the university, including the St. Petersburg Society of Natural Scientists, the Philological Society, and the Russian Physic-Chemical Society. The Charter of 1884 introduced radical changes to the university education system, effectively eliminating the autonomy of educational institutions. The examination system was fundamentally reformed, with students now being required to take an extensive list of state examinations immediately after graduation. Transitional exams between courses were eliminated.

The 1880s and 1890s are remembered in the history of St. Petersburg University for the emergence of talented scientists and educators, including I. I. Borgman, Yu. V. Sokhotsky, G. I. Glazenap, D. P. Konovalov, and A. O. Kovalevsky. In 1889, the Historical Society was founded under the leadership of A. S. Lappo-Danilevsky and N. I. Kareev. This marked the beginning of publication of the historical journal "Historical Review".

In 1905, after the events of January 9, the university was practically closed for academic classes. On August 27, the "Temporary Rules for the Management of Higher Education Institutions of the Ministry of Public Education" were published, which repealed the most controversial articles from the 1884 charter, returning the university's right to choose its administration officials and expanding the powers of the council. However, due to the publication of the October 17 Manifesto, a meeting took place in front of the Twelve College building, and the university was closed again by the authorities until autumn 1906.

The collection contains documents from the XIX - early XX centuries, most notably from the Russian State Historical Archive's holding 733, "Department of Public Education." These documents include reports, reviews, curricula, announcements, lists of personnel and students, as well as petitions.

After the establishment of Soviet power in August 1919, the educational institution transformed into the Petrograd State University. Two new universities were added to it, based on the Psychoneurological Institute and Higher Women's Courses. The University had two faculties at that time: Physics and Mathematics, and Social Sciences

In the same year, the first working faculty (rabfak) opened, with A. A. Ukhtomsky, F. Ya. Kapustin, and E. H. Fritzman teaching there. In the 1920s, the brigade-laboratory teaching method was widely practiced, seriously affecting the long-standing traditions of university education.

Despite this, the period was remembered for a surge in scientific creativity. For example, a genetics laboratory and experimental zoology were established at the University, and activities of neophilological and physico-chemical societies increased. After the city was renamed Leningrad, the university also changed its name to Leningrad State University (LSU). During different periods of Soviet rule, it was named after A. S. Bubnov and A. A. Zhdanov.

In the 1930s, the restoration of the old university system began. However, without the elements of former autonomy, the leadership of the university was now approved by party bodies. During this time, lectures once again became the main form of education, read by outstanding scientists such as L.V. Shcherba, S.S. Kuznetsov, and S.V. Kalesnik, among others. These lecture courses led to the publication of systematic textbooks in the subjects taught and works on the history of the university itself. Some of these are available in a collection titled A.S. Bubnov Leningrad State University". In 1934, the Faculty of History was re-established, the Department of General Geology was opened, and a Department of Astrophysics was founded.

The period of the Great Patriotic War holds a special place in the history of university. More than 2,500 students and faculty members fought on the front lines. Despite the difficult conditions during the siege of Leningrad, university not only continued training, but also redirected its research efforts to support the war effort. At the end of February 1942, most of the campus was evacuated to Saratov and Yelabuga. One can learn more about the life of theuniversity during these years through the collection of documents titled University in Besieged and Blockaded Leningrad, which is available in Library’s Collections..

In the following decades, theuniversity continued to grow and expand. New departments and institutes were established, laboratories were built, and partnerships were formed with design institutions, businesses, schools, and museums. In September of 1973, the Physics Department began classes at second campus in Peterhof. Currently, St. Petersburg University has representation in Korea, China, Spain, Greece, and Italy.

The collection is based on archival files from the 733 Department of Public Education Foundation, which are stored in the Russian State Historical Archive. Additionally, materials from the Russian State Library, the Library of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, the Gorky Scientific Library at St. Petersburg University, the Russian Geographical Society, and the State Archives of the Russian Federation were used to create the collection. Other sources include the Mayakovsky Central City Public Library in Ural Federal University and private collections, as well as materials from internet resources.