Lomonosov Moscow State University

Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) is the largest and undoubtedly the best higher education institution in Russia, which is confirmed by the latest rating of the British edition of Times Higher Education and global studies of a number of domestic organizations. Most of the university’s buildings are located on the Vorobyovy Gory, in the southwest of Moscow, forming a unique “student city” that many people dream of visiting since childhood. MSU today is a leading research center known not only for its own teaching standards, but also for its rich cultural life, special creative atmosphere and traditions passed down from generation to generation.

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Video: MSU

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Highlights

Throughout its 260-year history, the university has remained the most prestigious in the country. Within its walls were educated I.S. Turgenev, A.P. Chekhov, N.I. Pirogov, Maximilian Voloshin, B.L. Pasternak, V.V. Pozner, A.S. Posner. Pozner, A.S. Politkovskaya, E.V. Kaspersky, M.S. Gorbachev, Boris Akunin and many other outstanding personalities. Of the 18 Soviet and Russian Nobel Prize winners, 11 were students or professors at Moscow State University. 12% of all discoveries registered in the Soviet Union belong to its former students.

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Today, about 300 academicians and corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences teach at the university. 39 faculties, about 40 thousand students, six branches, including those in other countries, research institutes – the scale, scope and huge internal potential of this alma mater are really impressive! The university campus is considered to be the largest in the world. Currently, MSU continues to actively develop, new buildings are being built, the science park attracts talented young scientists and entrepreneurs to create high-tech projects.

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Founders

The honor of establishing the Imperial Moscow University belongs to the outstanding Russian natural scientist Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and the statesman and philanthropist Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov. In correspondence with the latter, Lomonosov provided a detailed plan of the university’s structure.

Adjutant General Shuvalov was a favorite of the Empress and had great influence on her. It was on his petition that the decree on the establishment of the university was signed, of which he became the curator. He was in charge of economic issues, the budget, the choice of professors and students, and the gymnasium. Shuvalov managed to achieve independence of the educational institution from the local authorities. Ivan Ivanovich replenished the university library with his own books. It remained the only one available to the public for a hundred years.

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Shuvalov invited foreign professors, and sent talented students abroad. Many of them became professors at their alma mater upon their return (Zybelin, Veniaminov, Tretyakov, and others). Even when he retired from business, he continued to take an interest in the affairs of the university: he lobbied for Mikhail Kheraskov, returning him to the post of curator; he supported N.I. Novikov, who was in disgrace for his sharp satirical works.

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From the History of the University

The opening ceremony of the Imperial Moscow University took place on January 12 (25), 1755 on the day of St. Tatiana the Great Martyr. For more than a hundred years it was the feast of the founding of the university, and later became Student’s Day. In the morning, a divine service was held in the Cathedral of the Mother of God of Kazan, then within the walls of the educational institution the teachers made speeches. A dinner was given, and in the evening – festive illumination. The event was widely covered by the national and foreign press.

The university was located in the building of the Aptekarsky House (Red Square) of the former Zemsky order. The first enrollment amounted to only 16 students. They were mostly graduates of the Moscow Slavic-Greco-Latin Academy. Everyone could come to lectures and disputations.

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Initially, education was free, and later no money was taken for studies only from the most talented. It was compulsory to obtain a basic knowledge of history, poetry, criticism, physics, oratory in the philosophical faculty. Then students, according to their natural talents, either continued their studies or moved on to the medical or law faculties. State appropriations were insufficient. Е. Dashkova, Demidovs, Stroganovs and many other patrons of the arts helped the university in every possible way: they established scholarships for talented students, bequeathed their collections of books.

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Nobles preferred military service. At the end of the XVIII century, of the 24 professors of the university, only three were of noble origin, the rest were children of minor officials, clerics, merchants. The gymnasium at the university was also attended mainly by noblemen. Among the teachers of the institution were Lomonosov’s students from the university in St. Petersburg – Barsov, Yaremsky, Popovsky. The second gymnasium was founded later.In 1756 the printing house of the university began its work. Here they printed translations of works by Shakespeare, Diderot, Voltaire and many others. The Moscow Vedomosti, an independent newspaper, was published twice a week. A bookstore was also started here. In 1757 a student choir was created, and then a theater. A year later the productions already gathered the inhabitants of Moscow.

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In 1804, the Charter was changed. Innovations affected the management, the position of trustee was introduced. The candidacy of the rector was approved by the emperor.

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At the turn of the century, the formation of scientific communities began. Moscow State University not only blended remarkably well into the secular life of the city, but also gathered around itself talented and outstanding people. And in a few years the graduates – young educated people – formed the backbone that set the character of Moscow life.

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History and architecture of the main buildings

At the end of the 18th century, Catherine II bought a building on Mokhovaya Street and allocated funds for the construction of 7 buildings and a temple. The main building of Moscow University (this was the name of the old building) was built for 7 years under the direction of M.F. Kazakov. However, as a result of the Moscow fire of 1812 all the buildings were destroyed and invaluable archives were burnt. The restoration was led by D. Zhilyardi. He preserved the general features of the old building, the semicircular assembly hall and the dome. He added bas-reliefs, stucco decorations characteristic of the Moscow Empire style to the design of facades.

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In 1836 E. Tyurin built the university church on the site of the former Pashkov outbuilding. The interior is decorated with sculptures of angels, paintings by Langelotti and Claudy. N.V. Gogol, A.A. Fet, professors of the university were buried in this church. After the October Revolution, the temple housed a student club, and then the Student Theater.

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Today on Mokhovaya there are 3 faculties, a publishing house, the archive of the Museum of the History of Moscow State University, a church, a library and a House of Culture. The old building houses the Institute of Asia and Africa. Nowadays the university has about seven hundred separate buildings. The modern Main Building of MSU deserves special attention. For 37 years it remained the tallest building (236 meters with a spire) in Europe, 50 years – in Russia. The clock installed on the building’s tower remains the largest in the country, as well as the thermometer and barometer. About 500 enterprises were involved in the grandiose construction, which was supervised by Lavrentiy Beria, the USSR People’s Commissar of Internal Affairs himself.

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B.M. Iofan (who created the project of the Government House on the embankment) was appointed chief architect of MSU. It was he who conceived the general design of the structure – a high central part and four lower ones on the sides. The overall design strictly obeyed the rule of the golden section. The architect insisted on erecting the building near the berm. Because of disagreements B.M. Iofan was dismissed. The new head was L.V. Rudnev. The university building was moved 800 meters away.

Many advanced technologies were first used in the construction of the MSU building. At the same time, auxiliary buildings were erected, the site was cleared for Michurin alleys, filled with a layer of chernozem. A fruit and berry nursery was planted – the foundation of the Botanical Garden was laid. The facades were decorated by the sculpture studio of V.I. Mukhina. The spire, spikes and star were covered with yellow glass plates, imitating gilding. Ural semi-precious stones, crystal, precious woods, and marble were used in the interior decoration.

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Interesting facts and myths

The main building of the university is shrouded in many mysteries and student legends. A very common myth is that MSU goes underground for hundreds of meters. Probably, it has a real historical basis, because B.M. Iofan proposed to deepen to the mainland plate. But, of course, this would have entailed huge costs, and deadlines were pressing.

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Under the Main Building of Moscow State University there are indeed huge cellars with several floors. Here were bomb shelters, inviolable food supply, access to the artesian well. According to calculations, the first floors could well withstand a nuclear strike like the one on Hiroshima in Japan.

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The myth that the Main Building was built by prisoners finds both supporters and opponents. Allegedly, the upper floors were even arranged to house them in order to reduce transportation and settlement costs. A common story was that some managed to escape. Opponents of the version argue that it is unlikely that such strategically important construction could have been entrusted to prisoners. There are claims that German prisoner of war labor was used.

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Various talks go around the sculpture of Stalin. Student fantasies placed her and in the center of the cryogenic installation, and instead of the spire on the tower. It sounds plausible version that the made figure of the leader after Stalin’s death on March 5, 1953 was simply not installed. There is also talk of plans to rename the university in honor of the “leader of the peoples”, as if the letters were even prepared for this purpose. This myth remains unconfirmed.

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In the archives of MSU there are sketch projects with various ideas for decorating the building’s tower. The variants offered varied: the figure of Lenin, Lomonosov, Stalin, and just a round dome. As a result, the spire is crowned with a five-pointed star, like the rest of the “Stalinist high-rises” (except for the Foreign Ministry building).

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There is also talk of a secret subway branch that stretches from the Kremlin to Vnukovo. Photographs of the schemes have often appeared in newspapers. A map of the branching tunnels and highways is located in one of the basement rooms.

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There is a legend about four jasper columns from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which allegedly decorate the Rector’s front reception room.

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One more thing: in honor of the 250th anniversary of Moscow State University, the university satellite “Tatiana” was launched to explore outer space. This fact, as you understand, is real and does not need any additional confirmation.

Video: Horrors of MSU Main Building dormitory

Moscow University Today

Moscow State University continues to build: the territory that the university occupies on Sparrow Hills (146 hectares) will be doubled. Here they plan to create a scientific valley. Today, the laboratories of the alma mater are used for research in all branches of science. Student life is boiling here: about 40 sports sections, theater and dance studios, KVN. On the territory there are modern sports complexes, swimming pools, four museums with unique exhibits.

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To study at the largest and most prestigious university in Russia dreams of many young people who are seriously thinking about their future. The education received within these walls is an excellent foundation for a career. International exchange programs, internships, grants for gifted students open up excellent opportunities. The cost of a year of study, to date, is about 325 thousand rubles. The most popular in recent years is the Faculty of Public Administration.

On average, the usual competition at MSU is six people per place. It is clear that there are fewer applicants for less popular directions. But it’s not enough to get here – you also need to diligently chew the granite of science to hold on.

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Is it realistic to study at MSU for free? Yes, but only for the talented and very hard-working. There is a boarding school at the university, where about 300 gifted children of the country receive knowledge.

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Future applicants can try their hand at various Olympiads – international and held directly at MSU, as well as project championships and university competitions (information about them is available on the university’s website). And since the university is interested only in the best of the best, the winners and runners-up of these competitions are enrolled out of competition.

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Admission conditions, rules for submitting documents, information about passing scores is regularly updated on the website www.msu.ru.

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How to get there

To get to the Main Building of MSU you can take the subway to the station “University”, then change to a bus (stop “House of Culture”).

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