History

On 8 February 1819, the decree of Emperor Alexander I reorganized the Main Pedagogical Institute into St Petersburg University which was actually a renaming — the University regained its historical name. This was the end of the initial period of organization and development of the University in St Petersburg.

In 1821 the University was renamed St Petersburg Imperial University.

Initially, there were 3 faculties: History and Philology, Law and Philosophy, Physics and Mathematics. The system of faculties was borrowed from German universities. In 1855, the Faculty of Oriental Languages was added to them. Such a structure of the University existed until 1918.

In 1830, the Twelve Colleges building designed by the architect Domenico Trezzini was given to the University.

The 19^th century became the golden age for the University. At that time, outstanding scientists worked and world-famous scientific schools were established and developed at St Petersburg University: in mathematics by Pafnuty Chebyshev , in physics by Emil Lenz, in chemistry by Dmitri Mendeleev and Alexander Butlerov , in botany by Andrey Beketov, in embryology by Ilya Mechnikov and Alexander Kovalevsky, in physiology by Ivan Sechenov, in soil science by Vasily Dokuchaev, in geology by Alexander Inostrantsev, in Russian history by Konstantin Bestuzhev-Ryumin, etc.

Scientific societies have been established at the University since the end of the 1860-s. The natural scientists society was founded in 1868; the Russian Chemical Society was founded by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869 and renamed into the Russian Physico-Chemical Society in 1878. Later on, there were founded Philological, Anthropological, and Historical Societies, the Botanic Garden and Observatory. In 1893, the first Institute of Chemistry was established in Russia, and in 1901 — the first Physical Institute in Russia. In 1895, the prominent physicist and University graduate Alexander Popov demonstrated the first radio receiving device, and the first radiogram was sent from one building of the University to another the following year.

In the end of the 19^th — the beginning of the 20^th centuries, prominent Russian scientists worked at the University: the mathematicians Andrey Markov, Aleksandr Lyapunov and Vladimir Steklov, the physicists Orest Khvolson and Dmitry Rozhdestvensky, the astronomer Sergey Glazenap, the chemists Nikolai Menshutkin and Dmitry Konovalov. The Faculty of Oriental Studies became the largest center for Oriental studies in Russia.

St Petersburg University is famous for its graduates who brought fame to our country in all areas of science, politics and culture. Many graduates of Saint Petersburg University became renowned artists and musicians, poets and writers, theater and political figures, scientists and sportsmen. St. Petersburg University played a significant role in the development of Russian socio-political thought and culture. It has always been a center of freethinking.

Many prominent artists well known in Russia as well as in the world graduated from St Petersburg University, e.g. the writers Ivan Turgenev and Gleb Uspensky, the poets Alexander Blok and Nikolay Gumilyov, the composers Mikhail Glinka and Igor Stravinsky, the artists Nicholas Roerich and Alexandre Benois, the theatre personalities Serge Diaghilev and Alexander Yuzhin.

St Petersburg University became the Alma Mater for many leaders of our country, e.g. Pyotr Stolypin, Boris Stuermer, Alexander Kerensky, Vladimir Lenin, Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev.

The discoveries and achievements of the University professors and graduates have become part of the history of both international and Russian science and technology. We have eight Nobel Prize laureates and two Fields Medal winners (the mathematician’s Nobel Prize).

Nobel Prize Winners

Fields Medal Winners

In November 2009, St Petersburg University received a special status — «a unique scientific and educational complex, the oldest university in the country, of great importance for the development of Russian society». The University has now the right to issue its own diploma.

Since the establishment of the University and till the present days, many research areas have arisen here which become classical and internationally renowned. The University scientists conduct researches in almost all areas of knowledge. But not only scientists and students of the University but also colleagues from all over the world can use the numerous University resource centers. The University is open for cooperation and actively integrated into the global scientific and educational environment.

St Petersburg University has extensive international relations. International meetings and forums take place here regularly, especially in the beautiful Assembly hall or in the Peter’s Hall.

St Petersburg University entered the XXI century with a vast store of values collected for three centuries, the main of which — alumni who never lose touch with their ALMA MATER.