University of Warsaw Historic Campus: A Walk Through 200 Years
The essentials: The University of Warsaw, founded by a decree of 19 November 1816, keeps its historic campus at 26/28 Krakowskie Przedmiescie on the Royal Route: the Kazimierzowski Palace (before 1643), the Main Gate with the crowned eagle, the 1894 Old Library and the inter-war Auditorium Maximum. The University of Warsaw Museum runs campus tours for guests.
Photo: Scotch Mist, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). The University of Warsaw's Main Gate on Krakowskie Przedmiescie, crowned with the university eagle.
Midway down the Royal Route, behind a gate topped with a crowned eagle ringed by five stars - the five founding faculties - lies the historic campus of the University of Warsaw, one of the city's most elegant enclosures.
A university closed and reborn
The university was founded by a decree of 19 November 1816 and opened on 14 May 1818 as the Royal University of Warsaw. After students joined the November Uprising it was shut down; it returned as the Main School in 1862, was converted into the Russian-language Imperial University in 1869, and was re-inaugurated as a Polish university on 15 November 1915 - when women were admitted for the first time. Today it educates nearly 40,000 students across three campuses.
What to look for
The Kazimierzowski Palace, built before 1643 as a royal summer residence, is the university's oldest building and now houses its authorities. The Old Library of 1894 was a technical marvel holding 750,000 volumes in a steel-grille stack - during the war, future Nobel laureate Czeslaw Milosz worked here as a janitor. The inter-war Auditorium Maximum keeps its nearly 1,200-seat hall behind four Ionic columns. Steps away, the University Library of 1999 carries one of Europe's largest roof gardens - see our BUW garden guide.
Visiting
The campus at 26/28 Krakowskie Przedmiescie is open to stroll. For a guided visit, the University of Warsaw Museum offers tours - call (+48) 22 55 20 107 or email muzeum.uw@adm.uw.edu.pl.
FAQ
When was the University of Warsaw founded?
By a decree issued by Tsar Alexander I on 19 November 1816; it opened on 14 May 1818 as the Royal University of Warsaw with five faculties. It was closed after the November Uprising, revived as the Main School in 1862, Russified as the Imperial University in 1869, and re-established as a Polish-language university on 15 November 1915.
What can you see on the University of Warsaw campus?
The Kazimierzowski Palace (before 1643), the Main Gate of 1911 with the crowned eagle and five stars, the Old Library of 1894, the Auditorium Maximum of the 1930s with its Ionic columns and nearly 1,200-seat hall, and the neighbouring University Library with its roof garden.
Can visitors tour the University of Warsaw historic campus?
Yes - the University of Warsaw Museum offers tours of the historic campus; the university lists a contact phone (+48) 22 55 20 107 and email muzeum.uw@adm.uw.edu.pl.
Sources
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