In the farthest north-eastern borderlands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, in what was then Dorpat, a Jesuit school was established on the orders of King Stefan Batory. Thus, in the 16th century, thanks to the efforts of the Poles, the university history of today's Estonian capital began.

Stefan Batory and the beginnings of the University of Dorpat
Once upon a time... - that's how fairy tales begin, but this time it will be a distant but true story. A long, long time ago, four centuries and a half ago, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth stretched north-east to what is now Estonia, and included provinces such as Parnava and Dorpat. And it was in Dorpat, now Tartu, that the Jesuits founded the Gymnasium Dorpatense in 1583. This would not have been possible had it not been for the acquiescence of King Stefan Batory, who was keen not only to recatholicise the Protestant Estonians, but also to promote knowledge.

The macaronism Disce puer latine, ego faciam te majesty (Learn Latin, boy, and I will make you a nobleman), uttered by the King to an alumnus of the school in Zamość, has already gone down in history, although it also illustrates the whole range of the Polish monarch's reforming activities.

The choice of the Jesuits as builders of the Dorpat university was not accidental. On the one hand, education and learning were the informal charisms of the order founded by Ignatius Loyola; on the other hand, they were on such good terms with the ruler that they were able to establish a whole network of schools in the Republic.

Polish traces on the Mother River
It is not surprising, therefore, that after winning the war with Russia, Batory entrusted precisely the Jesuits with educational tasks in Inflants. It was then that Dorpat received two of the monarch's gifts - the red and white colours and a college. Many contemporary historians claim that the opening of the college was the nucleus of the university, although there are also those who postpone its establishment by half a century, when these lands were already ruled by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and in 1632 he founded the Universitas Gustaviana in Dorpat.

However, let us leave the disputes over chronology to the specialists, and even if they conclude that there is no connection between the Jesuit school and the university, lovers of polonics will still have something to do in this second largest city of Estonia. On the banks of the Emajõgi, or Mother River, it is worth visiting, among other places, the so-called "crooked house", which was restored by Polish conservators in 1988 and now houses the Museum of Contemporary Art, or the quarters in the historic St. John's cemetery where Polish students were buried.

University of Tartu - Polish traces
The most interesting Polish artefacts, however, are in the university buildings. When going to inspect them, it is important to remember that the present-day buildings of the university in no way refer to the original Jesuit one. The college functioned until 1625, after which it was closed under Swedish rule and replaced by the Catholic, Polish school Universitas Gustaviana. Over time, Dorpat came under Russian rule, although the German-speaking Balts had the greatest influence on the college itself. Today, the academic complex comprises some 150 buildings, 31 of which are listed in the register of historical monuments.

Seekers of polonics will be intrigued by the main building. It was built between 1804 and 1809 to a design by Johann Wilhelm Krause. Built in the classicist style, with an antic antic tympanum, portico and colonnade, and two side wings, the building hides its most interesting souvenir for Poles in the last, attic storey. This is where in 1802 a "special purpose room" - a punishment cell - was assigned. Insubordinate students were placed there and - for seemingly minor offences (such as keeping books from the library) - spent two weeks in isolation. The students suffered from boredom, which is why the walls of the punishment cell are decorated with names, notes and drawings that are not always decent.

The university archives preserved a photograph of such an autograph made by Jan Rodecki, a Polish nobleman born in 1870 in the Minsk district, who studied medicine at the University of Tartu from 1897 to 1901. In 1900, he was imprisoned for a whole month for trespassing on a stranger's flat. Jan Rodecki was a talented artist, and during his sentence he drew and signed a total of 60 drawings on the wall of the punishment cell. Unfortunately, the cache was almost completely destroyed in a fire in 1965, but in 2005 his name card was drawn on one of the walls of the surviving cache to commemorate him.

To the memory of King Batory and President Raczkiewicz
There is also a more formal polonium in the main building of the university. This is a commemorative plaque, designed by Estonian sculptor Tauno Kangro, built into the wall of the south wing in 2005. The rectangular panel of black granite features a metal bas-relief depicting Batory with a sword, wearing his traditional cap, known as a Hungarian magierka. Below it is carved an inscription in Estonian and Polish:

To Stefan Batory, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, who, after his victorious war with Moscow over Inflants (1579-1582), endowed Tartu with privileges in 1583 and granted it the right to use the white and red colours. The Jesuit College, founded by King Stefan Batory, marked the beginning of the city's university heyday. Between 1802 and 1918, being the seat of the Alma Mater Dorpatensis, it was the place of study and scientific work for more than 2,300 Poles. Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tallinn, Tartu, 3 May 2005.

The second plaque is located a few minutes' walk away, in a building called Iuridicum, i.e. the Faculty of Law. In a kind of hall of fame, among other recognised graduates of the university, Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz was also immortalised in 2010. He was not the only, but arguably the most important Pole studying law; many years later he became President of the Polish Republic in exile. The granite plaque bears an image of Raczkiewicz in his student uniform, with an inscription in Estonian, Polish and English to the right: Władysław Raczkiewicz 1939-1947, President of the Republic of Poland. 1909-1911 law student at the University of Tartu.

Poles at the University of Tartu
A virtual exhibition panel at the Historical Museum of Tartu University is also dedicated to Władysław Raczkiewicz. Without moving from home, we can get acquainted with short biographical notes and archival photos. Another compatriot honoured in the museum's online display is the world's most famous Polish naturalist, Benedykt Dybowski - who became famous in Dorpat as a gifted eccentric who established the Milk Brothers, a club of abstainers.

The exhibition has a symbolic dimension, and it should be remembered that for several hundred years of the university's existence, the flower of Polish youth descended on the red-and-white city, to name but a few of the greats: anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski, naturalist Aleksander Czekanowski or "discoverer of Zakopane" Tytus Chałubiński. The Polish student community there was so strong and creative that it created the oldest (or second oldest, if the priority is given to the students of Wrocław, then Breslau) Polish student corporation.

A tangible trace of the presence of our Dorpatians is the... cap exhibited in the museum. It owes its appearance (brim and shape) to the Germans, from whom the ideas of the student fraternity also originated, but it had a distinctive Polish name - maciejówka. Each such corporate headgear had specific parameters: a round bottom, made of red cloth, white star embroidery (white and red are both the colours of Poland and Tartu), a black stiff visor and a blue, white and black collar (the colours of Estonia).

Tartu dreams
Tartu (Dorpat) is an unusual place for Poles. Some found an educational enclave here, others, like Józef Piłsudski, only dreamed of studying in Dorpat, as the tsarist authorities effectively prevented them from doing so. Today, however, we can walk around this oldest Estonian city, visit the university campus, stop in the library created on the ruins of the historic cathedral and, in our imagination, hear the sermon of Peter Skarga, who frequented Dorpat. Let's also look for more as yet undescribed polonics.

Stefan Batory and the beginnings of the University of Dor pat
Once upon a time... - that's how fairy tales begin, but this time it will be a distant but true story. A long, long time ago, four centuries or so ago, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth stretched in the north-east to what is now Estonia, and included provinces such as Parnavė and Dorpatė. And it was in Dorpat, now Tartu, that the Jesuits founded the Gymnasium Dorpatense in 1583. This would not have been possible had it not been for the acquiescence of King Stefan Batory, who was keen not only to recatholicise the Protestant Estonians, but also to promote knowledge.
The macaronism Disce puer latine, ego faciam te majesty (Learn Latin, boy, and I will make you a nobleman) , uttered by the King to an alumnus of the school in Zamość, has already gone down in history , although it also illustrates the whole range of the Polish monarch's reforming activities.
The choice of the Jesuits as builders of the Dorpat university was not accidental. On the one hand, education and learning were the informal charisms of the order founded by Ignatius Loyola; on the other hand, they were on such good terms with the ruler that they were able to establish a whole network of schools in the Republic.

Polish traces on the Mother River
It is not surprising, therefore, that after winning the war with Russia, Batory entrusted precisely the Jesuits with educational tasks in Inflants. It was then that Dorpat received two of the monarch's gifts - the red and white colours and a college. Many contemporary historians claim that the opening of the college was the nucleus of the university, although there are also those who postpone its establishment by half a century, when these lands were already ruled by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and in 1632 he founded the Universitas Gustaviana in Dorpat.

However, let us leave the disputes over chronology to the specialists, and even if they conclude that there is no connection between the Jesuit school and the university, lovers of polonics will still have something to do in this second largest city of Estonia. On the banks of the Emajõgi, or Mother River, it is worth visiting, among other places, the so-called "crooked house", which was restored by Polish conservators in 1988 and now houses the Museum of Contemporary Art, or the quarters in the historic St. John's cemetery where Polish students were buried.

University of Tartu - Polish traces
The most interesting Polish artefacts, however, are in the university buildings. When going to inspect them, it is important to remember that the present-day buildings of the university in no way refer to the original Jesuit one. The college functioned until 1625, after which it was closed under Swedish rule and replaced by the Catholic, Polish school Universitas Gustaviana. Over time, Dorpat came under Russian rule, although the German-speaking Balts had the greatest influence on the college itself. Today, the academic complex comprises some 150 buildings, 31 of which are listed in the register of historical monuments.

Seekers of polonics will be intrigued by the main building. It was built between 1804 and 1809 to a design by Johann Wilhelm Krause. Built in the classicist style, with an antic antic tympanum, portico and colonnade, and two side wings, the building hides its most interesting souvenir for Poles in the last, attic storey. This is where in 1802 a "special purpose room" - a punishment cell - was assigned. Insubordinate students were placed there and - for seemingly minor offences (such as keeping books from the library) - spent two weeks in isolation. The students suffered from boredom, which is why the walls of the punishment cell are decorated with names, notes and drawings that are not always decent.
The university archives preserved a photograph of such an autograph made by Jan Rodecki, a Polish nobleman born in 1870 in the Minsk district, who studied medicine at the University of Tartu from 1897 to 1901. In 1900, he was imprisoned for a whole month for trespassing on a stranger's flat. Jan Rodecki was a talented artist, and during his sentence he drew and signed a total of 60 drawings on the wall of the punishment cell. Unfortunately, the cache was almost completely destroyed in a fire in 1965, but in 2005 his name card was drawn on one of the walls of the surviving cache to commemorate him.

To the memory of King Batory and President Raczkiewicz
There is also a more formal polonium in the main building of the university. This is a commemorative plaque, designed by Estonian sculptor Tauno Kangro, built into the wall of the south wing in 2005. The rectangular panel of black granite features a metal bas-relief depicting Batory with a sword, wearing his traditional cap, known as a Hungarian magierka. Below it, there is an inscription in Estonian and Polish:
. The inscription is dedicated to Stefan Batory, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, who, after his victorious war with Moscow over Livonia ( 1579-1582), bestowed Tartu with privileges and the right to use the white and red colours in 1583 . The Jesuit College founded by King Stefan Batory marked the beginning of the town ' s university heyday. As the seat of the Alma Mater Dorpatensis from 1802 to 1918 , it was a place of study and scientific work for more than 2,300 Poles . Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tallinn, Tartu, 3 May 2005.
. The second plaque is located a few minutes' walk away, in a building called Iuridicum, i.e. the Faculty of Law. In a kind of hall of fame, among other recognised graduates of the university, Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz was also immortalised in 2010. He was not the only, but arguably the most important Pole studying law; many years later he became President of the Polish Republic in exile. The granite plaque bears an image of Raczkiewicz in his student uniform, and to the right is an inscription in Estonian, Polish and English:
Władysław Raczkiewicz 1939 -1947, President of the Republic of Poland. 1909 -1911 law student at the University of Tartu.

Poles at the University of Tartu
A virtual exhibition panel at the Tartu University Historical Museum is also dedicated to Władysław Raczkiewicz. Without moving from home, we can get acquainted with short biographical notes and archival photos. Another compatriot honoured in the museum's online display is the world's most famous Polish naturalist, Benedykt Dybowski - who became famous in Dorpat as a gifted eccentric who established the Milk Brothers, a club of abstainers.

The exhibition has a symbolic dimension, and it should be remembered that for several hundred years of the university's existence, the flower of Polish youth descended on the red-and-white city, to name but a few of the greats: anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski, naturalist Aleksander Czekanowski or "discoverer of Zakopane" Tytus Chałubiński. The Polish student community there was so strong and creative that it created the oldest (or second oldest, if the priority is given to the students of Wrocław, then Breslau) Polish student corporation.

A tangible trace of the presence of our Dorpatians is the... cap exhibited in the museum. It owes its appearance (brim and shape) to the Germans, from whom the ideas of the student fraternity also originated, but it had a distinctive Polish name - maciejówka. Each such corporate headgear had specific parameters: a round bottom, made of red cloth, white star embroidery (white and red are both the colours of Poland and Tartu), a black stiff visor and a blue, white and black collar (the colours of Estonia).

Tartu dreams
Tartu (Dorpat) is an unusual place for Poles. Some found an educational enclave here, others, like Józef Piłsudski, only dreamed of studying in Dorpat, as the tsarist authorities effectively prevented them from doing so. Today, however, we can walk around this oldest Estonian city, visit the university campus, stop in the library created on the ruins of the historic cathedral and, in our imagination, hear the sermon of Peter Skarga, who frequented Dorpat. Let's also look for more yet-to-be-described polonics.