History Moscow State University

the principal medicine store building on red square housed moscow university 1755 1787



main buildings of university in mokhovaya street, 1798

ivan shuvalov , mikhail lomonosov promoted idea of university in moscow, , russian empress elizabeth decreed establishment on january 25 [o.s. january 12] 1755. first lectures given on april 26. russians still celebrate january 25 students day.

saint petersburg state university , moscow state university engage in friendly rivalry on title of russia s oldest university. though moscow state university founded in 1755, competitor in st. petersburg has had continuous existence university since 1819 , sees successor of academy established on january 24, 1724, decree of peter great.

the present moscow state university occupied principal medicine store on red square 1755 1787. catherine great transferred university neoclassical building on other side of mokhovaya street; main building constructed between 1782 , 1793 in neo-palladian style, design matvei kazakov, , rebuilt domenico giliardi after fire consumed of moscow in 1812.

in 18th century, university had 3 departments: philosophy, medicine, , law. preparatory college affiliated university until abolition in 1812. in 1779, mikhail kheraskov founded boarding school noblemen (Благородный пансион) in 1830 became gymnasium russian nobility. university press, run nikolay novikov in 1780s, published popular newspaper in imperial russia: moskovskie vedomosti.

as of 2015, old building housed department of oriental studies

in 1804, medical education split clinical (therapy), surgical, , obstetrics faculties. during 1884–1897, department of medicine—supported private donations, , municipal , imperial governments—built extensive, 1.6-kilometer-long, state-of-the-art medical campus in devichye pole, between garden ring , novodevichy convent; had been designed konstantin bykovsky (ru), university doctors nikolay sklifosovskiy , fyodor erismann acting consultants. campus, , medical education in general, separated university in 1918. of 2015rganization emerged @ university , called overthrow of czarist government , establishment of republic in russia. imperial government reo campus , mistreatment of professors, 130 scientists , professors resigned en masse, including such prominent men nikolay dimitrievich zelinskiy, pyotr nikolaevich lebedev, , sergei alekseevich chaplygin; thousands of students expelled.

after october revolution of 1917, institution began admit children of proletariat , peasantry. in 1919, university abolished fees tuition , established preparatory facility working-class children prepare entrance examinations. during implementation of joseph stalin s first five-year plan (1928–1932), prisoners gulag forced construct parts of newly expanded university.

the first humanities building

after 1991, 9 new faculties established. following year, university gained unique status: funded directly state budget (bypassing ministry of education), providing university significant level of independence.

on september 6, 1997, french electronic musician jean michel jarre, whom mayor of moscow had specially invited perform, used entire front facade of university backdrop concert: frontage served giant projection screen, fireworks, lasers, , searchlights launched various points around building. stage stood directly in front of building, , concert, entitled road 21st century in russia renamed oxygen in moscow worldwide release in video/dvd, attracted world-record crowd of 3.5 million people.

students celebrating 250th anniversary of university in 2005

on march 19, 2008, russia s powerful supercomputer date, skif msu (russian: СКИФ МГУ; skif means scythian in russian) launched @ university. peak performance of 60 tflops (linpack - 47.170 tflops) makes fastest supercomputer in commonwealth of independent states.