Kazan State University

(Mäğzüm Säläxev).

Kazan University is known as "the birthplace of organic chemistry" due to works of Aleksandr Butlerov, Vladimir Markovnikov, Aleksandr Arbuzov, and others.

Kazan's oldest part of the university building contains three classical portals along its white facade from the original 1822 construction. Included with this building is the First Boys' Gymnasium and the private residence of Prince Tenichev that was given to the university at the time of its founding. From 1832 through 1841, architect M. Korinfsky constructed the rest of the buildings. These included the Anatomy Theatre, the Library, the Chemistry and Physics Laboratories and the Observatory, completed the University complex and gave it its neo-classical look. The building of the Chemistry Faculty was constructed in 1954 by the students themselves.

Library

Kazan University Library has one of the world's most important bibliographical collections, including 15,000 manuscripts and 3,000 rare books. Opened in 1809, it first contained Count G. Potemkin's books that were brought to Kazan in 1799 mixed with collections of the earliest bibliophiles V. Polyansky and N. Bulich. Subsequently, the Solovetsky Monastery collections were added to the library.

These original books remain and are kept in the special depository of the library. In this special collection are Arabic manuscripts of philosophers and scholars Mansur Al-Hallaj and Avicenna (11-th century) and Ashshakhrestani (12-th century), a manuscript copy of the Pentateuch, the first Russian printed book "The Apostle" (1564), the "Books of Kingdoms" by Francisco Skorin (1518) and the "Code of Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich" (1649). The Library has first editions of the 18th-century books by Pushkin, Griboyedov, Gogol, Nasíri and Tuqay.

The library contains many 19th century periodicals, and literature about Kazan and the surrounding region. The library boasts itself as "the pride of the University and an invaluable source of information for any researcher." The original library building was built between 1825 and 1833 by Rector N. Lobachevsky, who was at the same time the Chief Librarian of the University. The Library, which now bears his name, is still growing, and even its new building cannot house all the collections. Kazan University also has many museums.

Famous faculty and alumni

* Aleksandr Arbuzov
* Mily Balakirev
* Jan Niecisław Baudouin de Courtenay
* Aleksandr Butlerov
* Vladmir Illych Ulyanov (Vladimir Lenin) (expelled)
* Ilya Ulyanov
* Ivan Yakovlev
* Nikolay Lobachevski
* Vladimir Markovnikov
* Leo Tolstoy
* Nikolay Beketov
* Afanasy Shchapov
* Platon Poretsky
* Nicolay A. Vasiliev
* Karl Ernst Claus
* Aleksandr Petrovich Norden
* Roald Sagdeev

ee also

* Education in Russia
* List of Kazan State University's rectors
* List of universities in Russia

External links

* [http://www.kcn.ru/tat_en/university/index.php3 Kazan State University Official Site]
* [http://www.ksu.ru/miku/eng/ekskurs/istoki/s3.php Museum of History of Kazan University]