Which university is Russia’s oldest?

Moscow State University was founded in 1755 by the decree of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna and, since, then it has had a continuous history.

Moscow University and the Neglinnaya River. 1790s.

Public Domain

The history of St. Petersburg State University, meanwhile, is full of peripetias.

1724 – Peter the Great issued a decree on the foundation of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences and, with it, the Academic University and gymnasium. By the end of the 18th century, the Academic University was liquidated, but the gymnasium operated until 1803.

Modern building of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg

Alex 'Florstein' Fedorov

1804 – The Main Pedagogical Institute was established in the capital – already outside the system of the Academy of Sciences.

1819 – Alexander I approved the project to restore the university in St. Petersburg on the basis of the Pedagogical institute. In 1821, the university received the title of the Imperial University and, in 1830, occupied the famous building of the Twelve Colleges.

Building of the Twelve Colleges (University) on Vasilyevsky Island in St. Petersburg

A.Savin, Wikipedia

In the 1980s, university researchers began studying the early history of the university and substantiated the year 1724 as the date of the beginning of university education in St. Petersburg. After this, St. Petersburg State University began to be considered the successor of Peter the Great’s Academic University. This point of view is now shared not only in the university itself, but also at state level.

So, on February 8, 2024, St. Petersburg State University celebrates its 300th anniversary as the undisputed oldest university in Russia.

Meanwhile, Moscow State University will turn 270 years old in 2025.

Moscow State University

I.s.kopytov (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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