University of Tartu Museum is the museum for the

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

. Its entities include the University of Tartu Museum in the historic

Tartu Cathedral Tartu Cathedral ( et, Tartu toomkirik), earlier also known as Dorpat Cathedral (german: Dorpater Domkirche), is a former Catholic church in Tartu (Dorpat), Estonia. The building is now an imposing ruin overlooking the lower town. In the small ...

, the

University of Tartu Old Observatory University of Tartu Old Observatory or Tartu Old Observatory ( et, Tartu Tähetorn) is an observatory in Tartu, Estonia. Tartu Observatory was an active observatory from 1810 to 1964. The building now serves as a museum and belongs to the Univ ...

, the University of Tartu Natural History Museum, the

University of Tartu Botanical Gardens University of Tartu Botanical Gardens ( et, Tartu Ülikooli Botaanikaaed), is a botanical garden in Tartu, Estonia. It belongs to the University of Tartu. The Garden was established in 1803. Originally, it was located at Vanemuise street near wha ...

, and the

University of Tartu Art Museum University of Tartu Art Museum ( et, Tartu Ülikooli kunstimuuseum) is an art museum in Tartu, Estonia founded in 1803 The museum is located in Main building of Tartu University. The museum is a branch of University of Tartu Museum. The chief o ...

History

The museum’s collections were started by

Tullio Ilomets Tullio Ilomets (13 July 1921 – 22 August 2018) was an Estonian chemist, science historian and a volunteer in heritage protection. Education Born in Paide, Ilomets graduated from Paide Secondary School in 1941. He continued to study chemistr ...

, an Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry, in the 1960s. In 1965, while the collection was being stored in the attic of the University's main building, a fire destroyed some of the collection. The University of Tartu History Museum was created in 1976. In 1981, following the university's library moving to its new building, the museum moved into the Tartu Cathedral. In 2014, the University History Museum was re-named the University of Tartu Museum.

The collections of the museum

The University of Tartu Museum’s collections have been part of the Estonian National Cultural History Collection since 2004. The museum's emphasis is on science history and the collection of scientific equipment. The collection comprises 73,398 items, documents and photos. The museum collection is divided into eight categories: * The Scientific Collection * The Astronomy-Mathematics Collection * The Physics-Chemistry Collection * The Medical Collection * The Historical Collection * The Art Collection * The Archive collection * The Photo Collection

Publications

* Annual journal ''The Questions on the History of the University of Tartu'', since 1975, Tartu University Press * Leppik, L. (2014) ''Mountain of Muses: University of Tartu Museum on Toome Hill'' Publisher: Tartu Ülikooli muuseum * Leppik, L. (2012) ''Tartu Tähetorn. Tartu Old Observatory'' Publisher Aasta Raamat

References

External links

* {{Coord, 58, 22, 48.98, N, 26, 42, 55.52, E, type:landmark_region:EE, display=title University of Tartu Museums in Tartu