The Collegium Maius (
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
for "Great College") located in
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
Old Town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
, Poland, is the
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...
's oldest building, dating back to the 14th century. It stands at the corner of
''ulica Jagiellońska'' (Jagiellon Street) and
''ulica Świętej Anny'' (St. Anne Street) near the
Main Square of the historic city centre. Collegium Maius is the location of the Jagiellonian University Museum (), a
registered museum established on the initiative of Prof.
Karol Estreicher after meticulous restorations which lasted from 1949 through 1964, bringing the edifice back to its original look from before 1840.
[Jagiellonian University (2016)]
Muzeum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego Collegium Maius.
/ref>
History
The then 36-year-old first university in Poland, known at the time as ''Akademia krakowska'' (), moved into the building some time in the 14th century after King Władysław II Jagiełło
Jogaila (; 1 June 1434), later Władysław II Jagiełło (),Other names include (; ) (see also Names and titles of Władysław II Jagiełło) was Grand Duke of Lithuania beginning in 1377 and starting in 1386, becoming King of Poland as well. ...
had purchased it as an educational grant with funds bequeathed by his late wife, Queen Jadwiga.
The ''Collegium Maius'' was rebuilt in the late 15th century as a late-Gothic structure surrounding a large courtyard bordered with arcades. In 1517 a well was built in the center of the courtyard. Professors lived and worked upstairs, while lectures were held downstairs.
In the 1490s the ''Collegium Maius'' counted among its students Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus (19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath who formulated a mathematical model, model of Celestial spheres#Renaissance, the universe that placed heliocentrism, the Sun rather than Earth at its cen ...
, the Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
astronomer and polymath
A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...
who would revolutionize European ideas about the universe.
File:Jagiellonian University Collegium Maius, courtyard, 15 Jagiellońska Street, Old Town, Kraków, Poland.jpg, Courtyard
File:Jagiellonian University Collegium Maius, courtyard E, 15 Jagiellońska Street, Old Town, Kraków, Poland.jpg, Courtyard
File:Jagiellonian University, courtyard of the Collegium Maius, the clock, 15 Jagiellońska street, Old Town, Kraków, Poland.mpg, The clock (plays music daily at 9:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00)
Cultural significance
The ''Collegium Maius'' Museum features lecture rooms, communal halls, professors’ quarters, a library and a treasury containing rectors' Gothic maces and the Jagiellonian globe
The Jagiellonian globe, also known as the Globus Jagellonicus, is a mechanical armillary sphere made in France before 1510. It is an astronomical instrument and a universal clock tracking both local solar time and sidereal time. The central brass ...
. Exhibits also include medieval scientific instruments, globes, paintings, collectibles, furniture, coins and medals.[
]
Jagiellonian University Museum Directors
* Karol Estreicher (1951–1976)
* Stanisław Waltoś (1977–2011)
* Krzysztof Stopka (since 2012)
See also
* Culture of Kraków
References
About Collegium Maius at www.krakow-info.com
{{Authority control
Jagiellonian University buildings
Gothic architecture in Kraków