Vilniaus universiteto Mineralogijos katedra 1803-1832

ENThe turn of the 18th and 19th centuries was a time of change for the Chief School of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL). After dissolution in 1773 of the Jesuit Academia et Universitas Vilnensis, which had operated tn Vilnius from 1579, the institution became the Vilnius Academy, and in 1781 it was renamed into the GDL Chief School. In 1773, a secular National Education Commission was established, which affected the activities of the Vilnius Academy, the GDL Chief School and, later, Vilnius Imperial University. From 1780, all schools m the Lithuanian education region (which had eight administrative provinces) were put under the administration of Vilnius. After the third division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów) in 1795, the Lithuanian Chief School underwent both formal and internal structural reforms. First, in 1797 under the so-called ‘Repnin reform’, instead three faculties were formed (Physics, Medicine and Ethics, Physical Science, Medicine, and Philosophy), replacing the earlier two faculties. A second reform followed on 4 April 4, 1803, under the Ukaz of Russian Tsar Alexander I, with the establishment of the Imperatoria Universitas Vilnensis as a secular institution. The reform was caused by the rapid development of science in Western Europe. The ‘General Statute . . .’, passed on 18 May 1803, read that the University must ‘have a full and systematised distribution of science’ The former three faculties then became four faculties: Physical Science and Mathematics; Medicine; Ethics Philosophy and Politics; and Literature and Liberal Arts.The reform in 1803 provided a strong incentive for the further development of Vilnius University and the teaching programmes were significantly renewed. The emphasis on the mathematical and natural sciences increased, new disciplines were introduced, and new professorships were established. Ten key disciplines were taught at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, with its ten professors employed in physics, chemistry, natural history, botany, agriculture, advanced pure mathematics, advanced applied mathematics, theoretical astronomy, practical astronomy, and civic architecture. The conditions were favourable for the rapid development of university sciences. Thanks to Jeronim Stroinowski (1752-1815), who headed the University from 1799 to 1806, and especially Jan Śniadecki (1756-1830), who was rector from 1807 to 1815, Vilnius University became established as a well-funded and highly regarded institution of higher learning. Although the time-span of the University was rather short only 29 years (1803—1832) the University was famed for prominent professors, the high level of teaching, and students imbued with the principles of the Romantic Movement and freedom of ideas, closely related to the society, with the recognition that education was of fundamental importance for the development of the country). Famous West European professors, including the palaeontologist Georges Cuvier and the mineralogist Alexander Brongniart, were among the members of the University. In the nineteenth century, the life sciences flourished at Vilnius University. Although natural history at the Faculty of Physical Sciences and Mathematics was in the list of ten top disciplines, it happened so that the Department was only formally active. S. B. Jundzill, who was an ‘associate professor’ of natural history, became Professor of Botany in 1803.Up to 1805, he gave lectures on natural history. From 1805, the chair of natural history was vacant all the time. Mineralogy was introduced in 1803 as a supplementary course in the natural history programme. From 1804, there was also a mineralogy cabinet (office), with collections. After extensive debate, this so-called supplementary course was elevated to the rank of department by the University Council only in 1822, with an additional chair of mineralogy professor, which post was soon occupied by the mineralogist Ignacy Horodecki. However, conditions favourable to the establishment of the department had been developing previously in the GDL Chief School. At that time, mineralogy was a popular discipline, necessary for naturalists, medicos, physicists, and chemists, and the aristocracy were interested in mineralogy, since nobles wanted to possess collections of precious mineralsTEit was regarded as an honour to have them in the house. Fine minerals were also used in the church artwork. The published and archival data show that from the very first day of its establishment the Vilnius University Mineralogy Department was active in both teaching and research. The mineralogy taught there as a supplementary discipline from 1803 formed conditions favourable for the subsequent development of geological science in the Vilnius Education District. The Mineralogy Department began its operations de jure (torn 1822, after the chair of mineralogy was approved. The different mineralogy professors were as follows: Roman Symonowicz (1803-1813); Feliks Drzewiński (1814-1817); Ignacy Horodecki (1817-1824); Joseph Jundzill (1824—1825); and Ignacy Jakowicki (1825-1832). All were graduates of Vilnius University, and were well- educated, broad-minded men. They had also studied abroad [...].