Vasyl Karazin’s 248th Birthday Anniversary

On February 10, Karazin University community celebrates the birthday of the University's founder, public figure, enlightener, scientist, inventor, Vasyl Karazin.

In January 1791, Vasyl Karazin entered the military service, became a regular attendee of lectures at the Mining School, where he gained profound knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry, medicine, and mastered the main European languages. Four years later, he left the service and settled in an estate in Kruchik village

Thanks to his initiative, the Kharkiv Imperial University was opened in 1805. It is one of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe.

Vasyl Karazin is the author of valuable scientific works, discoveries in different fields of science, in particular in food industry, meteorology, organic and inorganic chemistry. He also expressed original ideas about the use of electricity and production of artificial diamonds.

Vasyl Karazin's educational work is often compared to that of Mikhail Lomonosov and Benjamin Franklin.

The scholar and educator played an important role in the development of science, culture and education in Kharkiv and Ukraine in general. He was the initiator of establishing the first in Europe Ministry of National Education. He organized a laboratory and the first in Kharkiv governorate meteorological station. Vasyl Karazin was the founder of the Philotechnical Society for spreading achievements of science and technology, and developing industry in Ukraine. It was thanks to his support that Kharkiv University library’s holdings were replenished with 3,000 books.