University

University of Pavol Josef Šafárik in Košice

A bit of history...

  • The tradition of higher education in Košice goes back to the year 1657, when the bishop Benedict Kishdy founded an Academy by the Memorandum of “Studium Universale” - at the time university was under the leadership of Jesuits. 
  • In 1660 the University of Košice got the same privileges as to all the other universities of the Habsburg Monarchy (Vienna, Prague, Köln, Graz, Trnava, Olomouc...). It happened due to emperor Leopold I.´s "Golden Bull" issued - the official document that granted our university the privileges. 
  • The University was in possession of more villages in Spiš County and one town. It significantly influenced the advancement of science, educational attainment and spiritual culture in the 17th and 18th century.
  • The Košice University was well known for its excellent professors Martin Palkovič, Samuel Timon, Štefan Kaprinai, Karol Wágner, Juraj Sklenár, Michal Lipšic, distinguished for spreading the new Physics in the Monarchy, and other works. The lectures were given in Latin as that was the common language of higher education at the time. 
  • In 1773 the University felt out of conduct of Jesuits and became a public institution – Academia Regia.
  • After the Second World War, several universities were established and in 1948 university became a subsidiary of the Medicine Faculty of Comenius University. By this act, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice was established.
  • Currently, we have five faculties: Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Law and Faculty of Public Administration and Faculty of Arts.