Kazan Federal University

Kazan University is one of the oldest universities in Russia. On November 5, 1804, Alexander I signed the Certificate of Affirmation of the Kazan Imperial University and its Charter.

Initially, the university was housed in the building of the Kazan Imperial Gymnasium, built in 1796, later three neighboring houses were acquired for the needs of the institution, which made it possible to consider this quarter as a university campus. In the 20s of the XIX century, the architect P.G. Pyatnitsky is building the main building, the classic facade of which with three porticos has been preserved to this day. In the next decade, when N.I. Lobachevsky, under the direction of the architect M.P. Corinthian architectural ensemble was created. The architect placed the anatomical theater strictly along the axis of the main building, making it the southern dominant of the entire ensemble. The buildings of the chemical laboratory and the library arose symmetrically to it, in the same period an astronomical observatory and a clinic were built.

In the 20th century, the exit of university buildings outside the original historic quarter became inevitable. The geological faculty was located in the building of the former theological seminary - an architectural monument of the 18th century, on the other side of Astronomical Street in the 50s the building of the chemical building grew, and from the end of the 60s, in about ten years, two high-rise educational and laboratory buildings were built - north and west of the main building. In 1989, the UNICS cultural and sports complex was commissioned, sports facilities were added to the Bustan complex, which in May 2010 was solemnly opened with the participation of Russian Prime Minister V.V. Putin. The erection in 2003, in preparation for the 200th anniversary of Kazan University, of the eastern wing of the main building gave it completion in accordance with the project of the architect Mufke,

During the life and activity of Kazan University, scientific schools were formed in it, which received world recognition. Here non-Euclidean geometry was born, the creator of which was the mathematician N.I. Lobachevsky played an outstanding role in the development of the university, leading it for two decades.

In 1842, a university graduate, professor N.N. Zinin was the first to synthesize aniline, thereby laying the foundations for the aniline-paint industry and the production of medicines. Two years later, in 1844, another Kazan scientist, K.K. Klaus discovered a new chemical element, which he named "ruthenium" in honor of Russia. Even more glorified the Kazan chemical school A.M. Butlerov, having created a theory of the chemical structure of organic substances, which for the chemistry of organic compounds has the same meaning as the table of D.I. Mendeleev to study the world of inorganic substances.

In the first half of the 19th century, the university became the largest center for oriental studies in Europe; the famous linguistic school was born here, founded by I.A. Baudouin de Courtenay. Among the pupils and scientists, whose activities in many ways contributed to the world fame of the university, there are astronomer I.M. Simonov, a member of the first round-the-world expedition of 1819-1821, during which Antarctica was discovered and the beginning of its scientific study was laid. Within the walls of Kazan University A.F. Samoilov, the founder of the electrophysical school, recorded an electrocardiogram for the first time in Russia. The university is associated with the names of two scientists-chemists - the father and son of the Arbuzovs, who created a new direction in science - the chemistry of organophosphorus compounds. At the height of the Great Patriotic War, in 1944, E.K. Zavoisky made a fundamental scientific discovery - he recorded the phenomenon of electron paramagnetic resonance, his research was continued by S.A. Altshuler, B.M. Kozyrev and other scientists who made up the largest school of magnetic radio spectroscopy and quantum electronics.

For more than 200 years of history, the university has provided science with eighty full members and corresponding members of the country's Academy of Sciences.

The university is the center of not only science and scientific education, but culture and enlightenment, the emergence of the book business in the region, the emergence of the first provincial newspaper, the development of theatrical life and much more are associated with it. The founder of the Soviet state V.I. Ulyanov-Lenin, writers S.T. Aksakov, L.N. Tolstoy, P.I. Melnikov-Pechersky, V.V. Khlebnikov, composer M.A. Balakirev, artist V.I. Jacobi et al.

By the decree of the President of the Russian Federation B.N. Yeltsin dated July 30, 1996, Kazan State University is included in the State Code of Especially Valuable Objects of Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of the Russian Federation.

In the execution of the Decree of the President of Russia D.A. Medvedeva "On the establishment of federal universities in the North-West, Volga, Ural and Far Eastern federal districts" On October 21, 2009 by the order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated April 2, 2010, a federal state autonomous educational institution of higher professional education "Kazan (Volga region) Federal University" changes in the type of the existing state educational institution of higher professional education “Kazan State University named after IN AND. Ulyanov-Lenin ".

A week later, on April 9, 2010, by the order of the Government of the Russian Federation, Gafurov Ilshat Rafkatovich was appointed rector of Kazan Federal University for a period of 5 years. By the order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated April 14, 2015, Ilshat Rafkatovich was reappointed to the post of KFU rector for the next five-year period.