General Information

The Collegium Novum (Latin: “New College”) is the neo-Gothic main building of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (the oldest educational establishment in Poland). It was built between 1873 and 1887 and opened in 1887.

Additional Information

The building contains lecture rooms, including an impressive assembly hall (called Aula), Rector’s, Deans’ and other university authorities’ offices, as well as those of a number of prominent professors. It is the Jagiellonian University’s administrative centre.

History: Highlights

Until the end of World War I, a portrait of His Imperial Majesty Franz Joseph I of Austria, painted by Kazimierz Pochwalski, hung in the assembly hall of the Collegium. On October 31, 1918 a group of University students tore it to pieces, manifesting their determination for the recreation of an independent Republic of Poland.

History: Explained

A number of other paintings, however, did survive, including portraits of the University’s founding fathers Casimir the Great and Władysław Jagiełło, dating back to the early 1860s, a picture of Queen Jadwiga painted in 1900 to celebrate her Jubilee, as well as the works of Jan Matejko.

Sonderaktion Krakau: Highlights

On the upper floor of the College there is a lecture hall named after Józef Szujski, now used by historians, with the commemorative plaque in remembrance of the events surrounding Nazi German action called Sonderaktion Krakau, when 183 professors were arrested and later sent to concentration camps in Sachsenhausen and Dachau.

Sonderaktion Krakau: Explained

The plaque reads: “For the freedom of spirit and service to science and nation of Jagiellonian University professors deceitfully and forcefully taken away from this hall and imprisoned by the Nazi occupant on November 6, 1939.”

Restoration: Highlights

The restoration of the neo-Gothic architectural structure took place at the end of the 20th century. It was faced with a number of challenges, notably the task of reviving the original form of the building while simultaneously improving its functionality as an educational facility.

Restoration: Explained

The restoration was carried out on its façade in 1994 along with the modernization of the assembly hall, which was completed in 1999. The collaboration of specialists from various disciplines allowed for both restoration and functional needs of the Collegium to be met successfully.