Collegium Maius
Poland
The building now houses the Jagiellonian University Museum, which was established by Professor Karol Estreicher after extensive restoration work that took place between 1949 and 1964, returning the building to its original appearance before 1840.
The Collegium Maius Museum boasts lecture halls, communal spaces, professors' living quarters, a library, and a treasury showcasing Gothic maces belonging to former rectors and the Jagiellonian globe. The museum also displays medieval scientific instruments, globes, paintings, collectibles, furniture, coins, and medals.
History
The Akademia krakowska, which was established in the 14th century and was known as the first university in Poland, moved into the Collegium Maius building. The building was purchased by King Władysław II Jagiełło as an educational grant with funds bequeathed by his late wife, Queen Jadwiga. In the late 15th century, the Collegium Maius was rebuilt as a late-Gothic structure with a large courtyard surrounded by arcades. In 1517, a well was constructed in the center of the courtyard. The professors lived and worked on the upper floors, while lectures were held on the lower floors. In the 1490s, the Collegium Maius had among its students Nicolaus Copernicus, a renowned Renaissance astronomer and polymath, who would later revolutionize European ideas about the universe with his groundbreaking theories and discoveries.