Military Engineering-Technical University
The Saint Petersburg Military Engineering-Technical University (Nikolaevsky) (, VITU), previously known as the Saint Petersburg Nikolaevsky Engineering Academy, was established in 1810 under Alexander I. The university is situated in the former barracks of the Cavalier-Guard Regiment where the university was founded. Description. Military Engineering-Technical University is a higher military educational institution preparing officers of engineering and building specialties for all branches of troops and navy. It is located in Saint Petersburg where the university was founded, near Engineers Castle, Summer Garden, Suvorov Museum, Tauride Palace, and Smolny Convent. Military Engineering-Technical University has  six faculties preparing specialists in the following branches: The university trains experts in the field of construction of buildings and special structures, engineering and technical systems and power industry. It has an experimental base for testing various thermal-mechanical and power equipment, structures and construction materials, and carries out research and development activities. It provides military university trained officers for all the Engineering Troops of Russia, a counterpart of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. History. This is one of Saint Petersburg's eldest Higher Military engineering schools, its history (as Higher learning institution) beginning in 1810. The Saint Petersburg  Military Engineering-Technical University was founded as the Saint Petersburg military engineering School in 1810 on the base of the military school of engineering conductors (engineering of non-commissioned officers), after addition of officers classes and application of five-year term of teaching. In 1819 was renamed as the Main military engineering School. How Stephen Timoshenko wrote in a book "Engineering Education in Russia" the system of Higher learning institution of five-year Education of Main military engineering school was used later on the example of Institute of railway Engineers by all Russia and develops until now. This engineering school  was alma mater of graduate for Fyodor Dostoyevsky. In 1855, officers classes of the Nikolaevsky Engineering School was reformed as the Nikolaevsky Engineering Academy. After 1917, numerous transformations of Nikolaevsky Engineering Academy and Engineering school were undertaken (but Higher learning institution survived). It was renamed as the Military-Engineering Academy, and then as Military-Technical Academy. But in 1932 followed the unsuccessful attempt of moving the Engineering Faculty to Moscow; it was completed later as the Sea Faculty returned to Leningrad in 1939 (As a result, from the base Saint Petersburg Engineering Higher learning institution was separated a new Moscow  military Engineering-administrative academy). Only Nikolay Gerasimovich Kuznetsov could counteract Joseph Stalin`s policy against the Nikolaevsky Engineering Academy and school in 1939. He ordered that the university be revived, and that the Marine Engineering faculty be returned from Moscow. The attempts at bureaucratic movings (or Stalin's unfavorable attitude, 1932–1939) of the Saint Petersburg High School of Military Engineers can be examined in the historical context of the "Military Case" and Great Purge, on the eve of war against fascism. Also, Stalin's dislike of Fyodor Dostoyevsky was the reason of the unfavorable attitude against a university (because Stalin did  not understand Dostoyevsky) . There were destructive consequences of some degradation for the pedagogical and scientific forces of Saint Petersburg High School of Military Engineers, but it was successfully corrected only due to the donor help of Petersburg Polytechnical Institute. Nikolaevsky Engineering Academy was formally and legally reborn in 1939 as the Higher Naval Engineering Construction School on the base of the Leningrad Industrial Construction Engineers Institute (separate part of Saint Petersburg Polytechnical University), and enlarged with the Sea Engineering Faculty of the Moscow Military Academy. Higher Naval Engineering Construction School was renamed the Higher Naval Engineering Technical School. Leonid Kantorovich  became the professor of Military Engineering-Technical University, previously known as the Nikolaevsky Engineering Academy, when it was revived on the site of part of the Polytechnical Institute. Also, the academician Boris Galerkin took a general's uniform in 1939, as the head of VITU's structural mechanics department became a lieutenant general. In September 1960, VITU university was called the Order of the Red Banner Higher Military Engineering School and became part of the construction troops. In 1974, the university was named after A.N. Komarovsky. In 1993, the university was reformed as the Military Engineering-Technical Institute, which received  its present-day name in 1997, after as did merger the Pushkin Higher Military Engineering Construction School. The Second World War. Military Engineering-Technical University directly took part in World War II. The graduating students of the university fought heroically at all fronts of that war. They showed spiritual force and quality of engineering competence. The forts and numerous fortifications buildings was established by the graduating students of university, all of it played a vital part in defending (for example Brest Fortress). So unique Krasnaya Gorka fort was constructed by the graduating students of VITU at the beginning of the  20th century with the installation of 12-inch guns in concrete casemates. The system of forts played a key part in the Siege of Leningrad. The VITU's graduating students by the commanders of Krasnaya Gorka fort did to finally stopped the offensive of fascists already in 1941. During the Siege of Leningrad, Boris Galerkin was the head of the city engineering defence department experts group. Also, he joined the military engineering commission of the Academy of Sciences. Hard non-stop work was undermining his health. Not long after the Victory, in , Galerkin died. Leonid Kantorovich was the professor of  the VITU of the Navy, and there he was in charge of safety on the Road of Life; for his feat and courage he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War. Traditions of Saint Petersburg High School of Military Engineers. Military Engineering-Technical University prolongs, saves and develops the scientific and pedagogical traditions of Saint Petersburg High (higher learning institution) School of Military Engineers, the Nikolaevsky Engineering Academy and Nikolaevsky Engineering School, in the place of its own historical motherland. Alumni and faculty. In total, the University prepared more than 45,000 military engineers. Among its alumni and faculty are