Saint Petersburg Mining University

This article is about the university in Russia. For the historic mining library in the United Kingdom commonly known as The Mining Institute, see North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers.
Saint Petersburg Mining University
Санкт-Петербургский горный университет
Former names
Leningrad Mining Institute
National Mineral Resources University
Motto
Усердие к услуге Отечества и к пользе оного любовь
Motto in English
Diligence in conducting the affairs of the Fatherland and love for the good thereof[1]
TypePublic
Established1773; 251 years ago (1773)
RectorVladimir Litvinenko
Academic staff
5,000
Students16,500
Location
Saint Petersburg
,
Russia
Websiteen.spmi.ru
Building details
The building of the Mining Academy (1811) is a Neoclassical work by Andrey Voronikhin.
Map
General information
Estimated completion1811
University rankings
Regional – Overall
QS Emerging Europe and Central Asia[2]168 (2022)
Colonnade of the Mining Institute building
The Rape of Proserpina statue

Saint Petersburg Mining University (Russian: Санкт-Петербургский горный университет), is Russia's oldest technical university[3] and one of the oldest technical colleges in Europe. It was founded on October 21, 1773, by Empress Catherine the Great, who realised an idea proposed by Peter the Great and Mikhail Lomonosov for training engineers for the mining and metals industries. Having a strong engineering profession was seen by many Russian rulers as a vital means of maintaining Russia's status as a great power. As historian Alfred J. Rieber[4] wrote, "The marriage of technology and central state power had a natural attraction for Peter the Great and his successors, particularly Paul I, Alexander I, and Nicholas I".[5] All three had had a military education and had seen the achievements of the engineers of revolutionary and imperial France, who had reconstructed the great highways, unified the waterways and erected buildings throughout Europe in a more lasting tribute to the French than all of Napoleon's victories.[6]

Though located in St. Petersburg, the university is on a federal rather than local level and has partnerships with global oil, gas, and mining companies, as well as governments. Its museum[7] is home to one of the world's finest collections of gems and mineral samples, and the university building is a Neoclassical masterpiece designed by Andrey Voronikhin.

  1. ^ Sorokin, Vladimir. "Preserving the historical memory". National Mineral Resources University. Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  2. ^ "QS World University Rankings-Emerging Europe & Central Asia". Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  3. ^ "History". National Mineral Resources University. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  4. ^ Central European University website, Alfred. J. Reiber http://people.ceu.hu/alfred-j_rieber
  5. ^ The rise of engineers in Russia, Cahiers du monde russe et soviétique, http://monderusse.revues.org. Vol. 31, Issue 4, p. 539 - 568, 1990
  6. ^ The rise of engineers in Russia, Cahiers du monde russe et soviétique, http://monderusse.revues.org. Vol. 31, Issue 4, pp. 539–568, 1990
  7. ^ The Mining Museum homepage on the university homepage, with details of how to visit "MINING MUSEUM | Горный Университет". Archived from the original on 2014-11-09. Retrieved 2014-12-02.