University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik

Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice

Univerzita Pavla Jozefa Šafárika v Košiciach
Type	Public
Established	1959
Rector	Prof. MUDr. Ladislav Mirossay, DrSc
Administrative staff	1,250
Students	5,700
Location	Košice, Slovakia
Website	http://www.upjs.sk/

Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (Slovak Univerzita Pavla Jozefa Šafárika v Košiciach) is a university located in Košice, Slovakia. It was founded in 1959 and is organized into five faculties. The university is named after Pavel Jozef Šafárik, a 19th-century Slovak philologist, poet, and historian.

The tradition of higher education in Košice goes back to the year 1657, when the bishop Benedict Kishdy founded an Academy by the Memorandum of “Studium Universale” and presented it with 40 000 tallers (by way of a dot). The Academy or the University started up managed by the Jesus’ Community Jesuits. The University of Košice Golden Bull issued on 6 August 1660 by the Roman emperor Leopold I. granted the University the same privileges as to all the other universities of the Habsburg Monarchy in Vienna, Prague, Köln, Graz, Trnava, Olomouc e.g. The Bull included a provision of high significance stating the academic degrees to be recognized as they were granted at any of the oldest and most famous universities. The structure of the “Academia Cassoviensis” was similar to that of other universities managed by Jesuits, determined by the Study Rules -“Ratio Studiorum”. Rector, Vice-rector and Chancellor stood at the head of the University, Faculties were represented by Deans. Alongside the Philosophical and the Law Faculties, the Theological Faculty was the strongest. Study at the Philosophical Faculty was dedicated first of all to Philosophy, History and Languages, but the lectures included also natural sciences, e.g. Physics, Mathematics, Geography and Botany. The Košice University was well known for its excellent professors Martin Palkovič, Samuel Timon, Štefan Kaprinai, Karol Wágner, Juraj Sklenár, Michal Lipšic, distinguished for dissemination of the new Physics in the Monarchy, and others. Regular and extraordinary professors were giving lectures to the students of all the Hungary nationalities. The lectures were given in Latin. The University had its own library, church, printing station and it was also connected to other institutions, a high school, seminary and convict or to vassal villages and other estate administration, for instance. The University was in possession of more villages in Spiš County, at Abov and Zemplín See; it owned also one of the Gemer county towns, Jelšava. The university significantly influenced the advancement of science, educational attainment and spiritual culture in the 17th and 18th century.