200th Aniversary of The Imperial Lyceum

The Imperial Lyceum was established in Tsarskoe Selo on the 19th of October in 1811 by the initiative of A.K. Razumovsky, Ministry of People's Education, and M.M. Speransky, Ministry of Justice, as a privileged educational institution.

Pursuant to the Resolution on establishment of the Lyceum, as of 12 August 1810, which was approved by Emperor Alexander I, the institution was granted rights and advantages similar to those of other Russian universities.  Healthy boys aged 10-12 could be  enrolled but were subject to results of preliminary tests on basic knowledge in Russian, French, and German languages, Arithmetics, Physics, Geography, and History.  The goal of the Lyceum was "to educate youth particularly intended for important parts of the state service."  The education programme was designed around subject to age-related understanding of the students.

This six-year programme included Russian Language and Literature, Russian History, Foreign History, French, German, Latin, Geography, Political and Moral Sciences, Physics and Mathematics, Drawing, Fencing, Singing, and Music.

During the first year of study, most of the time was dedicated to studying languages: Russian, French, Latin, and German.  On some designated days, the students had to socialize solely in a specific foreign language.

Due to the efforts of Vasily L'vovich Pushkin, an uncle of the future poet, it was decided to send young Alexander Pushkin to the newly-established Tsarskoe Selo Imperial Lyceum.

In Lyceum, Pushkin's abilities were deployed rather quickly: he read a lot and could remember everything he had read.   His prime interest was French Language and Literature, Russian Language and Literature, and History.   He could hardly be called a diligent student though.  A.I. Kaidanov, his teacher of Geography and History, said that "despite of his low diligence, he displays very good results; and that should be attributed solely to the brilliant talents he possesses."

He was one of most zealous  contributors to hand-written Lyceum magazines and one of the most active members of the Lyceum circle of novelists and poets, who used to get together on evenings to write stories and impromptu verses.  Poetic tournaments were held between Lyceum students.  Pushkin was the winner of these for quite a while. 

During his years in Lyceum years, Pushkin established a high level of relations which he later described as "the Lyceum brotherhood".  It was there at the Lyceum that Pushkin found his faithful friends.  The closest ones were Ivan Puschin, Anton Delvig, Wilhelm Kuchelbekker.

And there that the poetical talent of Pushkin was revealed.  While being there, the poet wrote over 120 verses.

In January 1815 during the final examination all students were working really hard to score high.  Gavrila Derzhavin, a poet of authority and the most renowned poet of that time, was invited to serve as an examiner.  Being a person of advanced age, he was drowsing at his table during that exam. But when Pushkin began to recite his poem "Remembrance of Tsarkoe Selo" Derzhavin woke up immediately.  The young man's agitation immediately turned into inspiration.  Although his friends were already familiar with the poem, they were looking rapt and were listening to the poem's lines as if they heard them for the first time.  When Pushkin finished, "the old man" Derzhavin jumped from his seat and rushed to congratulate and hug and bless his young colleague. When Pushkin's friends came to their senses, he left the hall already: he was so preoccupied with his emotions that he run outside and hid in the Lyceum gardens.

 The 18-year old Pushkin graduated from the Lyceum in the summer of 1817.  These were the sad days of farewell to that quiet little town and its shady parks, here his student years had passed.

 ...The Lyceum students unbuttoned the top buttons of their uniforms, joined their hands to form a rank, and started to march along the old park's alleys, saying good-bye to their favourite places they had known since their boyhood.  They were marching and singing the farewell song written and composed by Anton Delvig "These seven years have flashed by as a daydream."  Misha Yakovelv, everybody's favorite, was accompanying them on his guitar. A pensive and surprisingly quiet Pushkin was singing along with his friends  in a low voice.  There was a new life up ahead, and it attracted their young hearts.