October 1, 1896 by express train Southwestern Railways Minister of Justice of Russia, and in the recent past, the head of this Railways S.Vitte arrived in Kyiv. Inhabitants of Kyiv know very well about his outstanding organizational skills.
Witte truly loved Kyiv. His career as a famous statesman began from this city. Given this caveat, "fathers" of the city, giving on the station platform required protocol honors Mr. Minister, immediately went to see him at the hotel "European", where he stopped.
Kyiv delegation was headed by Stepan Mykhailovych Silsky - the then mayor. He presented a petition to Mr. Minister, consisting of five requests that require, in the opinion of the local council, immediate solution. Numbered fifth of the petition was the request for assistance from the Minister to the opening in Kyiv technical secondary school.
After hearing the request of the people of Kyiv, S.Vitte agreed with the delegation that all the problems they are relevant to Kyiv and all of South-West region, and he will try in every way to promote their rapid solution. And in the last petition, of course, supporting it, Sergei Yul'evich substantially amended, which is the same day spread throughout the city and found many supporters. Finance Minister said the following:
- Opening in Kyiv secondary technical schools this is from yesterday. Today the city needs the Engineering School, ie Polytechnic Institute ...
Many historians tend to believe that the biography of the Polytechnic Institute in Kyiv was first launched in October 1896. Although it was started to appear in 1880, when the local sugar manufacturers, on whose plants then had more than a third of total Russian production of sugar, with the active support of the chairman of the Kyiv Exchange Committee H. Hryakov have decided to arrange in Kyiv technical school. And immediately they opened a subscription for donations.
Together with interests this fund in 1896 rose to 72,000 rubles.
Exactly this amount was remembered February 18, 1896 - during the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Russian Technical Society, created to promote the country's development of technology and industry. Permanent head of the Kyiv branch of the Society, Professor University of St. Vladimir Nikolai A. Bunge, the famous sugar manufacturer-and philanthropist Lazar Brodsky said that the time has come to use this fund to build in Kyiv technical school. The remaining amount for the construction can donate, as Lazarus Izrailevych thought, the persons who realize that for the benefit of the common cause should urgently satisfy the hunger for qualified personnel specialists.
There were a lot of such enthusiasts. First of all, perhaps, we should remember a passionate supporter of higher technical education - Deputy Chief of ways and buildings YUZZHD (CCD) A.Abragamson, which, as a talented professional, highly revered S.Vitte. So, Arthur Adol'fovych January 9, 1896 in a popular newspaper among the citizens "Kievlianin" wrote that the need to establish a polytechnic institute is fully ripe. The industrial centers like Moscow, Kharkov and Kyiv are the most suitable for this. But ... in Kharkiv Institute of Technology already exists, and in Moscow - Imperial Technical School. In addition, the engineer continued, Kyiv satisfies all the conditions for prosperity in it Technical Institute: this is a great university city, a center of industry and flowering country ...
In the same year, the City Council twice tried to discuss the topic of opening in Kyiv technical school. At the same time it was modestly suppressed S.Vitte proposal of the technical institution of higher class. The City Council members thought that it is too much for Kyiv. Others have even suggested that perhaps secondary technical school of the city will be able to establish, without spending any investment.
And their position could be understood, the local treasury of the city, is booming, more like a well from which water is exhausted by instantly as it becomes available. And then there's the trouble broke out - in February, there was a fire in the town theater, the brainchild of architecture academician Ivan Strom. And since Kyiv at that time among the five most notable cities of the Russian Empire (located in the same company with St. Petersburg, Moscow, Warsaw and Odessa), the people of Kyiv strongly demanded rapid construction of a new theater building. A two construction cost simultaneously the city could not overpower.
But aptly noted: if you cannot, but still really want it, you can ... In January 1897 the fate of the Polytechnic Institute in Kyiv was in the hands of the Governor-General A.Ignatev.
Most likely A.Ignatev forced to join one of the most active proponents of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, received in mid-January 1897 letter from Never Artemyevitch Tereshchenko, in which he wrote:
"Count Alexei Pavlovich!
Need foundation in Kyiv Polytechnic Institute is called development of industrial life in the South West region and is vital.
As the Russian representative of the local industry and agriculture, I consider it my duty to make the initiative in this matter and hereby I express willingness to bring to your Excellency on the basis of the Institute in Kyiv personally from myself and on behalf of my sons, Ivan and Alexander, 50 thousand rubles, a hundred and fifty thousand in total... "
Then there was the letter from Lazar Brodsky, who donated to the Institute of 100,000 rubles. The letter was also added to the list of persons and institutions in the city, ready to make a contribution and in general in the amount of 81,000 rubles. At the same time the chairman of the Kyiv Exchange Committee Nicholas G. Khryakov notified the mayor S.Selsky to transfer to the construction fund accumulated Institute for this purpose since 1880 to 72,000 rubles. City Council in turn almost unanimously took to earn 300,000 rubles Institute, releasing five per cent bond issue.
The Governor-General headed the Committee to construct in Kyiv the polytechnic institute.
It was suggested a few places suitable for the construction of facilities of the Institute. Shulyavka at first was out of the question. At first there were considered the area vineyards on the Lipki, the Steep Street Laboratory, Trinity and Vladimir Squares, the rapidly built at the time Libidska site, Cadet highway and even Batiev mountains, separated from the city by Lybed river and railroad tracks south-west of the road.
End of uncertainty put the arrival in October Director of the Department of Trade and Manufactures V.Kovalevsky. Having read clearly all the places of the city, scheduled for the construction of the institute, Vladimir Ivanovich suddenly choose took a fancy parade of the military department, located at Shulyavka near Zhytomyr highway. There was here a tramway line that links the city center with Svyatoshyn and there were in vicinity smoked pipes of the plant Grether and Krivanek (now the "Bolshevik").
The Committee, which met on 17 October, approved V.Kovalevsky choice and decided to ask him and the Governor-General to obtain from the War Department the permission for the construction of buildings Institute 38 acres of land, offering instead of 76 tithes of urban land, distant from Kyiv.
At the same October meeting, the committee with the filing V.Kovalevsky adopted an unexpected proposal: to refrain from nationwide open competition for the best project of the Institute building, and hold name contest among the group of famous architects. For participation of each author intended reward of 1,000 rubles, and the author of the best project should be awarded with 4,000 rubles.
This method of competition exceeded the most optimistic forecasts - already 4-15 March 1898 Construction Commission reviewed eight projects. Its members are selected by the Committee in October 1898. N.Samofalov, A.Abragamson, L.Brodsky, B.Hanenko, professor at the University of St. Vladimir N.Bunge, N.Rennenkampf, D.Pihno, head of the CCD (YUZZHD) K. Nemeshaev choose of the project under the motto «Prestissimo». It was recognized as the most suitable for the construction of buildings of the institute. Author of this project academician of architecture in the explanatory I.Kitner in the explanation noted that the selected area for the construction refers to the healthiest in Kyiv. Three main building of the institute he intended to construct on the hill remote from Zhytomyr highway with its tram line at a distance of 100 yards. This site is intended to allocate to the park.
A contract to build a complex of buildings polytechnic university was given to the most authoritative on the time of construction L.Ginzburg office. In the same - 1898 the office was preparing to pass a magnificent building (the brainchild of architect Kyiv school district P.Shleyfer) Commercial School in the Bulvarna-Kudryavskaya street, that steeply decreased from the square of Lviv to Galicia street(now Victory Square).
It is in this building (his consecration was scheduled for 30 August) L.Brodsky put his eyes. He proposed a truly unique idea: post here temporarily quartered institution that is born, and start exercising it, without waiting for the completion of the buildings on Shulyavka, and in 1898, when there was obtained the consent of Nicholas II for the opening in Kyiv Higher Technical School named after Emperor Alexander II.
This maneuver L.Brodsky was in line with the high command of the emperor, dated 30 January 1898 in which, inter alia, stated: ... open the first courses Polytechnic Institute in Kyiv in the autumn of this year in temporary quarters, to spend 100,000 rubles . on the premises of this device for this purpose ... and appoint directors and teachers of this institution that is Victor Kirpichiov. "
Victor L. Kirpichiov, whose monument in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Polytechnic Institute, is scheduled to open in the territory of the university, belongs to the cohort not only outstanding scientists of the late XIX and early XX centuries, but also the equally wonderful organizers of higher technical education in the country. He "put on its feet," Kharkov Institute of Technology, born in 1889. For 9 years he has collected in this institution in April of the then scientific elite. Among the teachers were N.Beketov, an outstanding physical chemist, whose works, like his disciples, marked the beginning of the famous Kharkov Physico-Chemical School; V.Steklov - mathematician from God, whose name is called in Moscow Mathematical Institute of the Academy of Sciences; K.Zvorikin - one of the founders of the science of metal cutting.
Konstantin Alekseevich followed Victor Lvovich in Kyiv. Next to him, there were worked S.Reformatsky - chemist, organic, author of the discovery, called the Reformatsky reaction, which is widely used in the study and synthesis of complex natural compounds; G.De-Metz - physicist and methodologist, an authority in the field of radioactivity, the compiler of the first in Ukraine Course teaching of physics in schools; M. Delaunay (Delone) - an outstanding expert in the field of mechanics, one of the pioneers of gliding, promoter of aviation knowledge in Ukraine; Votchal Evgen Filatovych - Ukrainian founder of the school of Plant Physiologists, one of the organizers of the Institute of selection, then became a research institute of sugar beet ...
The presence of such distinguished professors, of course, affected the knowledge of university students. Big D.Mendeleev, who took part in January 1903 in the first finals of the school, wrote to the Minister of Finance S.Vitte: "... I am happy to have the opportunity to bring to the attention of your Excellency on the excellent results of the first release of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. They promise a lot in future sacrifices to the perfect device of this institution, and have not been in vain. " In the same message Dmitriy Ivanovich admits: "With 35 years of experience in the certification of higher education institutions, I have the courage to say that such a common set of special work study students to finish what I have seen Kyiv Polytechnic students can not be found in the famous I universities and institutes of technology ... "
The university gave a start in life to such prominent people of the XX century, as I.I. Sikorsky, S. Korolev, A. Lulka, A. Mikulin, I. Bardin , B. Paton and a lot of experts in the world wide.
On the eve of the start of classes, namely on 30 August on a hot afternoon on land Shuliavska there was the solemn laying of the main building of the institute. Here there gathered the elite of Southwestern Region, headed by the Governor-General M.Dragomirov. Among the honored guests there were contributors on the construction of the Institute - L.Brodsky, N.Tereschenko, father and son Zaytsev, B.Hanenko, Countess I.Branitska, Prince R.Sangushko, Earl P.Shuvalov, Prince Shcherbdtov, E.Demidova, Duchess of San Donato, Baron A.Mass ... Total - 84 patrons. And they sacrificed to create Polytechnic 1000000 rubles - worth while great.