Comenius University in Bratislava ( sk, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave) is the largest

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

, with most of its faculties located in

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% o ...

. It was founded in 1919, shortly after the creation of

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. It is named after Jan Amos Comenius, a 17th-century Czech teacher and philosopher. In 2020, Comenius University had more about 23,000 students and 2,500 faculty members. As are most universities in Slovakia, it is funded mostly by the government.

History

The Comenius University was established in 1919 with assistance from the more established University of Prague. It was meant to replace the former Elisabeth University which was located in Bratislava since 1912 as the latter had been forcefully disbanded in 1919 by

Samuel Zoch Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...

, plenipotentiary župan of Slovakia, after Hungarian professors refused to take an oath of allegiance at that time in the

First Czechoslovak Republic The First Czechoslovak Republic ( cs, První československá republika, sk, Prvá česko-slovenská republika), often colloquially referred to as the First Republic ( cs, První republika, Slovak: ''Prvá republika''), was the first Czechoslo ...

. This had caused the majority of the university's professors (and some of the students) to take refuge in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, where the Elisabeth University was reestablished. It had been later moved to

Pécs Pécs ( , ; hr, Pečuh; german: Fünfkirchen, ; also known by other alternative names) is the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the country's southwest, close to its border with Croatia. It is the administr ...

and renamed to

University of Pécs The University of Pécs (UP; Hungarian: ''Pécsi Tudományegyetem''; PTE) is an institution of higher education in Hungary. The modern university was established in 1912 but has its roots in the medieval university founded in Pécs in 1367 by ...

. This persecution of former (predominantly Hungarian) pillars of education in Bratislava necessitated the recruitment of Czech academicians. Therefore, many

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...

s of the newly established university, including its first rector, Prof. MUDr. Kristian Hynek, were Czechs, since Slovakia at that time did not have enough educated Slovak speakers who could serve as faculty members. In spite of personnel, financial, and space difficulties, the university developed research and teaching programs. The Faculty of Medicine opened in 1919, and was quickly followed by the Faculties of Law and Philosophy in 1921. The Faculty of Philosophy, besides offering programs in the

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at th ...

and

social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...

, also educated much-needed teachers for Slovakia's

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

s. In 1937, a new university building for the Faculties of Law and Philosophy was opened in the centre of Bratislava. The building includes the Aula (hall) used for graduation ceremonies and other formal functions. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Slovakia became nominally a republic, but was actually under the sway of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. The government reduced

academic freedom Academic freedom is a moral and legal concept expressing the conviction that the freedom of inquiry by faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy as well as the principles of academia, and that scholars should have freedom to teac ...

s at the university, and the Czech professors were forced out. The university was renamed ''Slovak University'' in 1939, though the original name was reinstated in 1954. The Faculty of Science opened in 1940 and the Roman Catholic Faculty of Theology was established in 1941. Academic freedom returned after the end of the war in 1945 but was again cancelled in 1948 as the

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

s took power in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

, enforcing the ideology of Marxism-Leninism at Czechoslovak universities. The Roman Catholic Faculty of Theology was taken under direct control of the Ministry of Education. However, the university continued to grow, and new faculties were established (mostly by splitting the existing faculties): *Faculty of Education in 1946, *Faculty of Pharmacy in 1952, *Faculty of Physical Education and Sports in 1960, *Faculty of Medicine in Martin in 1969, * Faculty of Mathematics and Physics in 1980. After the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...

in 1989, the university created a

democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

self-government, and mandatory courses on

Marxist ideology Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialecti ...

were abolished. The Roman Catholic Faculty of Theology and the Evangelical Theological Faculty joined the university. The transformation of Slovakia into a market economy created a need for professionals in management and financial sciences. As a result, the university established the Faculty of Management (1991) and the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences (2002). In 2000, the European credit transfer system was implemented to improve student mobility and facilitate more ties with other European universities.

List of faculties

This is a list of faculties of Comenius University in Bratislava with their official English names.Comenius University in Bratislava
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VP č. 9/2015 schválený AS UK Úplné znenie VP č. 10/2008 Štatút UK v znení dodatkov č. 1 až 4.
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Medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, and Health promotion ...

* Faculty of Law * Faculty of Arts * Faculty of Natural Sciences * Faculty of

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. ...

* Faculty of

Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

* Faculty of

Physical Education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explora ...

and

Sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

Jessenius Faculty of Medicine The Jessenius Faculty of Medicine or Jessenius School of Medicine ( sk, Jesseniova lekárska fakulta) is a co-educational medical school in Martin, Slovakia. It is the academic medical teaching and research arm of Comenius University. It is one o ...

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Aus ...

Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics The Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics (FMPH; sk, FMFI; sk, Fakulta matematiky, fyziky a informatiky; colloquial: ''Matfyz'') is one of 13 faculties of the Comenius University in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The faculty pro ...

* Faculty of

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Theology of

Cyril and Methodius Cyril (born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (815–885) were two brothers and Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs". They are credited w ...

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exp ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

Theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

Faculty * Faculty of

Management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

* Faculty of

Social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

and Economic Sciences

Notable alumni

* Ľubomír Belák – singer, musician, composer and TV producer *

Emil Benčík Emil Benčík (born 20 January 1933, in Zlatno) is a Slovak writer, journalist and translator. He established the feature radio documentary in Slovakia and created the first family radio series in the country called ''Čo nového, Bielikovci'', ...

– journalist and translator * Zuzana Beňušková – ethnologist *

József Berényi József Berényi (born 6 June 1967) is a Hungarian minority politician from Slovakia. He was the Chairman of the Party of the Hungarian Coalition of Slovakia in 2010-2016. Biography From 1994 to 1995, Berényi was a researcher for The New School. ...

– Chairman of the Party of the Hungarian Coalition *

Robert Fico Robert Fico (; born 15 September 1964) is a Slovak politician who served as the prime minister of Slovakia from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018 (when he resigned). He has been the first leader of the Direction – Social Democracy (SMER-SD) ...

– politician, former

Prime minister of Slovakia The prime minister of Slovakia, officially the Chairman of the government of the Slovak Republic ( Slovak: ''Predseda vlády Slovenskej republiky''), commonly referred to in Slovakia as ''Predseda vlády'' or informally as ''Premiér'', is the ...

Rudolf Macúch Rudolf Macuch (16 October 1919, in Bzince pod Javorinou – 23 July 1993, in Berlin) was a Slovak linguist, naturalized as German after 1974. He was noted in the field of Semitic studies for his research work in three main areas: (1) Mandaic st ...

– Protestant theologian and expert on Mandaean language and Samaritan language *

Zora Mintalová – Zubercová Zora may refer to: * Zora (given name), a female name of Slavic origin *Zora language, a Kainji language of Nigeria. * ''Zora'' (spider), a genus of spider in the family Zoridae * ''Zora'' (TV series), a Kenyan soap opera-drama series *Zoras, a fi ...

– ethnographer, historian and museologist *

Milan Mišík Milan Mišík (3 November 1928 in Skalica, Czechoslovakia – 7 May 2011 in Bratislava, Slovakia) was Slovak geologist and Professor, university professor. He excelled particularly as an expert in microfacies analysis, stratigraphy, sedimentology, ...

– geologist and university professor * Vladimír Palko – former

interior minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergenc ...

of Slovakia *

Ladislav Pataki Ladislav Pataki (June 20, 1946 – April 5, 2007) was an American coach, sports scientist, and masters track and field thrower. He defected from Czechoslovakia in 1985 with his wife and daughter, settling in Los Gatos, California. Dr. Pataki se ...

– sports scientist, athletics

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

masters athletics Masters athletics is a class of the sport of athletics for athletes of over 35 years of age. The events include track and field, road running and cross country running. Competitors are bracketed into five-year age groups (which promotes fair com ...

champion *

Julián Podoba Julián Podoba (9 January 191631 August 2005) was a Slovaks, Slovak endocrinologist. His research into iodine deficiency and endemic goitre led to the introduction of iodised salt in Slovakia. Biography Podoba was born in 1916 in western Slovakia ...

– endocrinologist *

Tomáš Raček Tomáš Raček also known as Tomáš J.M. Raček (born 21 December 1947) is a Slovak theatre, film and television actor, living in Canada. Awards In 2023, Tomáš won the ''Best Actor'' award at the Heart of Europe International (HEI) Film Festiv ...

– actor and diplomat * Iveta Radičová – former Prime minister of Slovakia * Emire Khidayer, diplomat, entrepreneur and writer * Ernest Valko – assassinated constitutional lawyer * Ján Vilček – biomedical scientist, educator, inventor and philanthropist *

Štefan Znám Štefan Znám (9 February 1936, Veľký Blh – 17 July 1993, Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is abo ...

– mathematician, first to ponder Znám's problem in modern mathematics * Miroslav Lajcak – diplomat,

President of the United Nations General Assembly The president of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on a yearly basis. The president is the chair and presiding officer of the General Assembly. Election ...

for the 72nd session *

Zuzana Čaputová Zuzana Čaputová, (; Strapáková; born 21 June 1973) is a Slovak politician, lawyer and environmental activist. She is the fifth president of Slovakia, a position she has held since 15 June 2019. Čaputová is the first woman to hold the pres ...

– politician,

President of Slovakia The president of the Slovak Republic ( sk, Prezident Slovenskej republiky) is the head of state of Slovakia and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The president is directly elected by the people for five years, and can be elected for ...

* Lukáš Plank - award-winning

pathologist Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in t ...

specializing in

hematopathology Hematopathology or hemopathology (both also spelled haem-, see spelling differences) is the study of diseases and disorders affecting and found in blood cells, their production, and any organs and tissues involved in hematopoiesis, such as bone m ...

References

Univerzita Komenského. História
Retrieved in March 2004
Univerzita Komenského (2006). Výročná správa za rok 2005
Retrieved in January 2007

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1919 Education in Bratislava 1919 establishments in Czechoslovakia John Amos Comenius

History

List of faculties

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links