Military Colleges (entry)

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MILITARY COLLEGES, military high schools for training army officers. They appeared in the early 19th century. Reorganised and unified in 1859-64, they had uniform admission rules, curriculum and organisation. They consisted of a two-year course of study. They were all closed down in November 1917. There were the following military colleges in St. Petersburg: Konstantinovsky Artillery College founded in 1859 on the basis of Konstantinovsky Cadet Corps. It was reorganised into the Second Military Konstantinovsky College in 1863 to provide training to infantry officers and renamed the Artillery College in 1894. It was situated at 17 Zabalkansky Avenue (today, Moskovsky Avenue). Mikhailovsky Artillery College was founded in 1820 as the Artillery College of the Artillery Training Brigade. It was named after its founder Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich in 1849. The college had officer classes reorganised into Mikhailovsky Artillery Academy in 1855. It was situated at 17 Arsenalnaya Embankment. Nikolaevsky Engineering College was founded as the Engineering School in 1804. It was renamed as the Engineering College in 1810, Principal Engineering College in 1819, and Nikolaevsky Engineering College in 1855. The college provided training for officers of engineer troops. It was situated in the Engineering Castle (see Mikhailovsky Castle). Nikolaevsky Cavalry College was founded as the School of Guard Petty Officers in 1823 and renamed the School of Guard Petty Officers and Cavalry Cadets in 1826, Nikolaevsky College of Guard Cadets in 1859, and Nikolaevsky Cavalry College in 1864. The college provided training to infantry officers until 1864 and cavalry officers with M. Y. Lermontov among its graduates. It was situated in the quarters of the Izmailovsky Regiment at the corner of First Roty Street (today, First Krasnoarmeyskaya Street) and Izmailovsky Avenue until 1825, then in Count I. G. Chernyshev's house on St.Isaac’s Square where the Mariinsky Palace is now situated, and in a new building at the present-day 54 Lermontovsky Avenue from 1839. Pavlovsky Military College was founded in 1863 based on Pavlovsky Cadet Corps. It was renamed as the First Military Pavlovsky College in 1864 and Pavlovsky Military College in 1894. The college provided training to infantry officers. It was situated in the Menshikov Palace at 1 and 21 Bolshaya Spasskaya Street (today, Krasnogo Kursanta Street) from 1887. Finally, Vladimirsky Military College was founded in 1869 as St. Petersburg Military College named after Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich in 1910. It was situated in the former military drawing school abolished in 1869 at 18 Bolshaya Grebetskaya Street (today, Pionerskaya Street). In Soviet times, similar military schools were established from 1918, the military college used as a term from 1920. They were reorganised and unified in 1929-32 as special military high schools with two to three years of studies and uniform admission rules and curriculums. Some colleges were reorganised into higher colleges from 1939. Most of them were transformed into higher education institutions in the 1970s and into military institutes and universities in 1990s. There were 47 military colleges in all operating in St. Petersburg in 1919-99.

Reference: Греков Ф. В. Краткий исторический очерк военно-учебных заведений, 1700-1910. М., 1910.

G. V. Kalashnikov. Chernyshev Ivan Grigorievich, Count
Lermontov Mikhail Yurievich
Mikhail Pavlovich, Grand Prince
Vladimir Alexandrovich, Grand Prince
1st Krasnoarmeiskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Arsenalnaya Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 17
Krasnogo Kursanta Street/Pavlovsk, town, house 21
Lermontovsky Ave/Saint Petersburg, city, house 54
Moskovsky Ave/Saint Petersburg, city, house 17
Pionerskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 18
Греков Ф. В. Краткий исторический очерк военно-учебных заведений, 1700-1910. М., 1910 Mikhailovsky Artillery Academy
1820