The
Museum of Tartu University History has
a great importance in preserving Estonian educational and scientific heritage.
The Museum is situated between the ancient
walls of the Medieval Dome Cathedral (13th-15th
cc), on the Tartu Dome Hill. Lutheran reformation and the Livonian War
in the 16th century caused the building to become neglected and finally
fall into ruins. In the beginning of the 19th century the choral part of
the cathedral was rebuilt for the needs of the University Library. Since
1981 the historical building hosts the only Estonian museum for the history
of science.
The Swedish Room
The University of Tartu (hist. Dorpat) was established
in 1632 by Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden. The practical foundation work
was done by Johan Skytte, the Governor-General of Livonia, then a Swedish
province.
The established University had four traditional faculties:
Theology, Medicine, Philosophy and Law. The language of study was Latin.
The so-called Swedish era had great influence on Estonian
educational life, despite the fact that the University was developing in
rather difficult conditions. Due to wars, it was moved from town to town:
Tallinn (1656 – 1665), Pärnu (1699 – 1710). There was also a break
in the activities (1665-1690). In 1710 the university evacuated to Sweden,
as the Swedes lost their Baltic territories to Russia.
At the Museum there are replicas of some original symbols
of the Swedish University: Rector's gown and sceptres, symbolic keys of
the University and duplicates of the University seals. All the original
items are kept in Stockhlom.
There are also three historic scenes, erected, to amuse
our visitors: the Learning Student, the Laboratory
of an Alchemist and the Autopsy Scene (the first autopsy in Tartu was performed
in 1697).
The Hall of Morgenstern
The University in Tartu was reopened in 1802 as the
only German language university in the Russian Empire. Thanks to its first
Rector, G. F. Parrot, it was granted wide
privileges – being financed by the Russian State, the University mantained
its own justice, independence to elect professors and the Rector. The academic
life in Tartu was more that of German than Russian. The Baltic Germans
dominated the student body until the end of the 19th century, when Aleksander
III Russification policy reached Tartu. Then the town was renamed Yuryev,
and the university lost its particular position, as Russian became the
language of study. Many German professors and students left. Their places
were taken by the representatives of numerous other nationalities of the
Empire – Russians, Jews, Polish, Lithuanians, Latvians, Georgians etc.
The number of Estonians in the student body started to increase notoriously
from the middle of 19th century. In 1870 the Estonian Student Society,
the first of its kind, was established. The Hall of Morgenstern in the Museum is dedicated
to the administrative and social life of the University in the Russian
period.
As the then student fraternities had a strong impression
on the life of the University, but also the town, we have tried to express
those slightly romantic aspects in our exposition. The fraternities were
not just places for drinking, singing and duels. The whole spectre of academic
life was covered by them. The nationally oriented fraternities became important
in establishing the future fates of whole nations – i.e. the colours of
the Estonian Student Society became later the flag of Estonia.
One can see the surviving interior of old University
Library in the Northern wing of the Hall. One of the rooms was dedicated
to the first director of the Library, K. Morgenstern.
The two models in the center of the hall depict the
historic building, You are standing in. You can see the Dome Cathedral
in ruins, as it was 200 years ago, and as being restored for the needs
of the University Library in the beginning of the 19th century. There are
also some models of other historic university-buildings in the exposition.
The Hall of Sciences
The University of Tartu, particularly in the 19th
century, served as a scientific bridge connecting Russia with the Western
(mainly German) academic world.
The Medical Faculty was perhaps the most renown, cradling
scientific schools known all over Europe. To name some outstanding scientists:
K. Fr. Burdach (a pioneer in the brain anatomy), J.
Fr. Erdmann (introduced physiotherapy into clinical practice), J. G.
N. Dragendorff (discovered a reagent for alkaloid isolation), H. A. A.
Smith (formulator of the fermentative theory of blood coagulation), N.
Pirogov (founder of experimental surgery), A. Rauber (one of the most outstanding
anatomists of the 19th century), C. B. Reichert (discoverer of haemoglobin
crystallisation) etc. Perhaps the best known graduate of the Medical Faculty
was K. E. von Baer, one of the founders of
embryology and evolutionary theory.
No one can speak about the University in Tartu, without
mentioning the Old Observatory. The latter served as a working place for
such world-famous scholars as W. Struve,
T. Clausen, J. Mädler etc. Many of
the purchased by them astronomical instruments are now exhibited at our
museum, together with numerous other scientific instruments and samples
from collections.
An outsatnding collection at our exhibition is a set
of physical instruments from the beginning of the 19th century, purchased
by the first Russian-era Rector, G. F. Parrot.
The Hall of the Estonian University
In 1919, December 1st, when many students
were still fighting for the independence of Estonia, the festive opening
of the Estonian National University was held. For the first time Estonian
became the language of study and science.
In the initial years many foreign (especially Finnish)
scientists were needed to support the developing national sciences. The
1920s-1930s were the period when Estonian territory, Estonian history,
language and culture were thoroughly studied for the first time.
Yet not all was new – many of the academic traditions
continued to flourish, the coloured caps of the fraternities adding a special
spirit to the townlife also in the Republic of Estonia.
There are belongings of the fraternities exhibited
in the museum. From the particular era come also a dentist’s set, presents
to the University at its 300th anniversary etc. A special corner
is dedicated to the scientific instruments of this period.
The White Hall
The Museum hosts a lot of events, as conferences, banquets
as well as temporal exhibitions. In most cases they are held in the so-called
White Hall – the most representative room of the museum and the whole town.
Text: T. Lõbu, K. Kalling
Webmaster: T. Pung
Last modified: June 5th, 2008.
