Masaryk University
Encyclopedia
Masaryk University is the second largest university
in the Czech Republic
, a member of the Compostela Group and the Utrecht Network
. Founded in 1919 in Brno
as the third Czech university (after Charles University
1348, Palacký University
1573), it now consists of nine faculties and 42,182 students. It is named after Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first president of an independent Czechoslovakia
as well as the leader of the movement for a third Czech university.
In 1960 the university was renamed Jan Evangelista Purkyně University after Jan Evangelista Purkyně
, a Czech biologist. In 1990, following the Velvet Revolution
it regained its original name.
monarchy
because of the resistance of the German-controlled city council, which feared giving power to the Czech residents of Brno. Brno was at that time a bilingual city. One notable demonstration in favour of establishing a university in Brno happened in 1905.
From the beginning, the university suffered from a lack of money for development. The fragile state of public finances in 1923-1925 and 1933-1934 led to proposals of abolishing both the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science. Both faculties eventually survived until 17 November 1939 when the whole university was closed following the German occupation of Czechoslovakia
. A number of professors of Masaryk University were executed or tortured; for example, the Faculty of Science lost one quarter of its teaching staff. Many of the executions took place in the Mauthausen Contentration Camp
in 1942.
The renewal of university life after the end of World War II was interrupted by the Communist takeover. The percentage of students expelled in various faculties ranged from 5 percent at the Faculty of Education to 46 percent at the Faculty of Law, which was completely closed in 1950. In 1953, the Faculty of Education (founded in 1946) was separated from the university. In August 1960, a government decree abolished the Pharmaceutical Faculty and the University was renamed Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Brno.
Relaxation occurred in 1964 with the reintegration of the Faculty of Education into the university and with the reestablishment of the Faculty of Law in 1969. But conditions changed again rapidly with the Normalization
of the 1970s after the 1968 invasion of Warsaw Pact
troops into Czechoslovakia.
The University was renamed Masaryk University in Brno in 1990, then regaining its original name by dropping the "in Brno" from the title in 2006. A new era of development began after the Velvet Revolution
of 1989 and the establishment of the Faculty of Economics and Administration in 1991, the Faculty of Informatics in 1994, the Faculty of Social Studies in 1998, and the Faculty of Sports Studies in 2002. A new University campus has been under construction in Brno Bohunice since 2002. The last stage of development should be completed in 2015.
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, a member of the Compostela Group and the Utrecht Network
Utrecht Network
The Utrecht Network is a network of European universities. The network promotes the internationalisation of tertiary education through summer schools, student and staff exchanges and joint degrees.- Utrecht Network member universities :...
. Founded in 1919 in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
as the third Czech university (after Charles University
Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
1348, Palacký University
Palacký University, Olomouc
The Palacký University of Olomouc is the oldest university in Moravia and the second-oldest in the Czech Republic. It was established in 1573 as a public university led by the Jesuit order in Olomouc, which was at that time the capital of Moravia and the seat of the episcopacy...
1573), it now consists of nine faculties and 42,182 students. It is named after Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first president of an independent Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
as well as the leader of the movement for a third Czech university.
In 1960 the university was renamed Jan Evangelista Purkyně University after Jan Evangelista Purkyně
Jan Evangelista Purkyne
Jan Evangelista Purkyně was a Czech anatomist and physiologist. He was one of the best known scientists of his time. His son was the painter Karel Purkyně...
, a Czech biologist. In 1990, following the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
it regained its original name.
History
Masaryk University was founded on 28 January 1919 with four faculties: Law, Medicine, Science, and Arts. The founding of the third Czech university was possible only after the fall of the Austro-HungarianAustria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
because of the resistance of the German-controlled city council, which feared giving power to the Czech residents of Brno. Brno was at that time a bilingual city. One notable demonstration in favour of establishing a university in Brno happened in 1905.
From the beginning, the university suffered from a lack of money for development. The fragile state of public finances in 1923-1925 and 1933-1934 led to proposals of abolishing both the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science. Both faculties eventually survived until 17 November 1939 when the whole university was closed following the German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this effort was the alleged privations suffered by...
. A number of professors of Masaryk University were executed or tortured; for example, the Faculty of Science lost one quarter of its teaching staff. Many of the executions took place in the Mauthausen Contentration Camp
Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen Concentration Camp grew to become a large group of Nazi concentration camps that was built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly east of the city of Linz.Initially a single camp at Mauthausen, it expanded over time and by the summer of 1940, the...
in 1942.
The renewal of university life after the end of World War II was interrupted by the Communist takeover. The percentage of students expelled in various faculties ranged from 5 percent at the Faculty of Education to 46 percent at the Faculty of Law, which was completely closed in 1950. In 1953, the Faculty of Education (founded in 1946) was separated from the university. In August 1960, a government decree abolished the Pharmaceutical Faculty and the University was renamed Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Brno.
Relaxation occurred in 1964 with the reintegration of the Faculty of Education into the university and with the reestablishment of the Faculty of Law in 1969. But conditions changed again rapidly with the Normalization
Normalization (Czechoslovakia)
In the history of Czechoslovakia, normalization is a name commonly given to the period 1969 to about 1987. It was characterized by initial restoration of the conditions prevailing before the reform period led by Alexander Dubček , first of all, the firm rule of the Communist Party of...
of the 1970s after the 1968 invasion of Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
troops into Czechoslovakia.
The University was renamed Masaryk University in Brno in 1990, then regaining its original name by dropping the "in Brno" from the title in 2006. A new era of development began after the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
of 1989 and the establishment of the Faculty of Economics and Administration in 1991, the Faculty of Informatics in 1994, the Faculty of Social Studies in 1998, and the Faculty of Sports Studies in 2002. A new University campus has been under construction in Brno Bohunice since 2002. The last stage of development should be completed in 2015.
Faculties
- Faculty of Medicine (1919)
- Faculty of Law (1919)
- Faculty of Science (1919)
- Faculty of Arts (1919)
- Faculty of Education (1946)
- Pharmaceutical Faculty (1952–1960)
- Faculty of Economics and Administration (1991)
- Faculty of Informatics (1994)
- Faculty of Social Studies (1998)
- Faculty of Sports Studies (2002)
Notable alumni
- Josef AugustaJosef AugustaJosef Augusta was a Czechoslovak paleontologist, geologist, and science popularizer.During 1921 to 1925 Augusta studied at the university in Brno...
(1903–1968) - paleontologist - Otakar BorůvkaOtakar BoruvkaOtakar Borůvka was a Czech mathematician best known today for his work in graph theory, long before this was an established mathematical discipline....
(1899–1995) - mathematician - Leo EitingerLeo EitingerLeo Eitinger was a Holocaust survivor and Norwegian Psychiatrist who studied the late-onset psychological trauma experienced by people who went through separation and psychological pain early in life only to show traumatic experience decades later...
(1912–1996) - psychiatrist - Ivan BlatnýIvan BlatnýIvan Blatný was a Czech poet, member of Skupina 42 .-Life:...
(1919-1990) - poet, member of Skupina 42 - Jiří GrygarJirí GrygarJiří Grygar is a Czech astronomer and popularizer of science. Dr. Grygar is a Kalinga Prize laureate...
(b. 1936) - astronomer - Renata LaxovaRenata LaxovaRenata Laxova, Ph.D., a paediatric geneticist, is Emeritus Professor of Genetics at the Departments of Pediatrics and Medical Genetics, Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison...
(b. 1930) - paediatric geneticist - Tomáš JulínekTomáš JulínekTomáš Julínek is a Czech politician and physician. From 2006 to 2009, Julínek served as the Minister of Health of the Czech Republic. He is a member of the Civic Democratic Party.-Career:...
(b. 1956) - politician - Luboš KohoutekLuboš KohoutekLuboš Kohoutek is a Czech astronomer.Kohoutek has been interested with astronomy since high school. He studied physics and astronomy at universities in Brno and Prague...
(b. 1935) - astronomer - Jan SkácelJan SkácelJan Skácel was a Czech poet of Moravian origin, widely acclaimed as one of the best poets who had been writing in Czech....
(1922–1989) - poet - Antonín TučapskýAntonín TucapskýAntonín Tučapský is a Czech composer. Since 1975 he lives in Great Britain.-Biography:He was born in 1928 in Opatovice , Moravia, former Czechoslovakia. In 1947 he graduated from the Teachers’ Training College in Valašské Meziříčí. Tučapský studied in Brno before beginning his career as composer,...
(b. 1928) - composer - Milan UhdeMilan UhdeMilan Uhde is a Czech playwright and politician. He is a member of the Civic Democratic Party.Uhde previously worked at a literary journal, but the publication was banned in 1972...
(b. 1936) - playwright and politician - František VláčilFrantišek VlácilFrantišek Vláčil was a Czech film director, painter, and graphic artist.Between 1945 and 1950, he studied esthetics and art history at Masaryk University in Brno. Later he worked in various groups and ateliers , but his main area became played film...
(1924–1999) - film director - Josef AugustaJosef AugustaJosef Augusta was a Czechoslovak paleontologist, geologist, and science popularizer.During 1921 to 1925 Augusta studied at the university in Brno...
(b. 1946) - ice hockey player and coach - Jiří HolíkJirí HolíkJiří Holík is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the Czechoslovak Extraliga. He played for Dukla Jihlava...
(b. 1944) - ice hockey player - Jaroslav MalinaJaroslav MalinaJaroslav Malina is a scenographer from the Czech Republic. He is a member of the Artistic Council of the Academy of Arts in Prague...
(b. 1945) - anthropologist - Martin PaloušMartin PaloušMartin Palouš is the Permanent Representative to the United Nations for the Czech Republic. He presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 11 September 2006...
(1950- ) - Permanent RepresentativePermanent RepresentativeA Permanent Representative is the head of a diplomatic mission to one of various international organisations. The best known of the organisations to which states send Permanent Representatives is the United Nations; of these, the most high-profile ones are those assigned to headquarters in New...
to the United Nations (2006- ) and Ambassador to the United States for the Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
(2001–2005) - Petr NečasPetr NecasPetr Nečas is the current Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and Leader of the Civic Democratic Party. He was sworn into office on 28 June 2010....
(b. 1964) - politician - Šárka KašpárkováŠárka KašpárkováŠárka Kašpárková is a former Czech track and field athlete who specialised in the triple jump.She attended her first Summer Olympics in 1992, participating in the high jump...
(b. 1971) - athlete, specialised in the triple jump - Ondřej LiškaOndrej LiškaOndřej Liška is a Czech politician. Liška served as Minister of Education under Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek in his second cabinet. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies for South Moravia since the 2006 legislative election till May 2010. He is the chairman of the Green Party.- External...
(b. 1977) - politician
Notable professors
- Eduard ČechEduard CechEduard Čech was a Czech mathematician born in Stračov, Bohemia . His research interests included projective differential geometry and topology. In 1921–1922 he collaborated with Guido Fubini in Turin...
(1893–1960) - mathematician - Roman JakobsonRoman JakobsonRoman Osipovich Jakobson was a Russian linguist and literary theorist.As a pioneer of the structural analysis of language, which became the dominant trend of twentieth-century linguistics, Jakobson was among the most influential linguists of the century...
(1896–1982) - linguist and literary theorist - Jaroslav KrejčíJaroslav KrejcíJaroslav Krejčí was a Czechoslovakian lawyer and politician. He served as Prime Minister of Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia from January 19, 1942 to January 19, 1945....
(1892–1956) - lawyer and politician - Matyáš LerchMathias LerchMathias Lerch was an eminent Czech mathematician who published about 250 papers, largely on mathematical analysis and number theory...
(1860–1922) - mathematician - Arne NovákArne NovákArne Novák, born as Arnošt Novák, was a Czech literary historian and critic, specialist in German and Czech studies.-Life:He was born as a son of the high school teacher Dr...
(1880–1939) - literary historian - Erazim KohákErazim KohákErazim Kohák is a Czech philosopher and writer. His early education was in Prague. After communists took over Czechoslovakia in 1948, his family escaped to the United States....
(b.1933) - philosopher and writer