History
Petersburg State University was established in 1724 by order of Peter I, becoming one of Europe’s oldest universities. In 1742, construction of 12 college buildings was completed. In 1758, Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov assumed leadership of the academic department and gymnasium. In 1783, Ekaterina Romanovna became the Academy of Sciences director, making her the first woman worldwide to hold such a position. The university received the Imperial title in 1821. In 1834, the first doctoral thesis was defended. The first University Orchestra concert occurred in 1842 under cellist and composer K.B. Schubert. In 1878, Petersburg University pioneered higher education opportunities for women in Russia. The first Physics Institute in Russia opened at the university in 1901. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, graduating in 1904, became the first Russian Nobel Prize recipient. In 1911, a memorial office honored chemist Dmitriy Ivanovich Mendeleev. Olga Antonova Rozhdestvenskaya became the first female professor in 1915. During World War II, hundreds of students volunteered for military service. Nikolay Nikolaevich Semenov received the Nobel Prize in 1956.
