Founding of University of Tartu

The University of Tartu is the oldest and most prestigious university in Estonia, founded in the town of Dorpat, now Tartu, by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, who then ruled the region. At its foundation it was called Academia Gustaviana and was one of the northern European universities of the Baltic area. It closed during wars in the seventeenth century and was refounded more than once, most importantly in 1802 by the Russian emperor Alexander I, when it became a leading German-language university of the Russian Empire. It became an Estonian-language university after the creation of the Estonian republic in 1919. It continues as a research university, and its famous alumni include scientists and cultural figures.

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