He taught Europe before Columbus sailed: Incredible story of Ukrainian professor
Who was Yurii Drohobych and why do we know so little about him (photo: drohobych.rada.gov.ua)
Long before Columbus set sail for the shores of the New World, Ukrainian intellectual Yurii Drohobych was already lecturing at the University of Bologna, one of the most prestigious institutions in Europe. Find out who he was, what he became famous for, and why so little is still said about him.
Physician, philosopher, and astronomer
Yurii Drohobych (1450–1494), also known as George of Drohobych or Yurii Kotermak, was a Ukrainian astronomer, physician, philosopher, and the first scholar from Ukraine to gain recognition in Western Europe.
He was born in the city of Drohobych (in the Lviv region today) and graduated first from the University of Kraków and later from the University of Bologna in Italy.
A Ukrainian among the European elite
At the University of Bologna, he was not only a student but also a lecturer, teaching courses in philosophy and astronomy. This took place in 1478, fourteen years before Christopher Columbus's travel to America.
The fact that a Ukrainian taught at the oldest university in Europe is a historical testament to the high level of education and scholarship in Ukrainian lands as early as the 15th century.
Yurii Drohobych held the title of Doctor of Medicine and Philosophy. He even served as rector of the University of Bologna—an extremely rare honor for someone from abroad—and authored an important scientific work: "Prognostic assessment of the current year 1483." In this treatise, he combined astronomical knowledge with social observations, predicting political and natural events.
Returning to his homeland
In the 1480s, Drohobych returned to Kraków, where he became a professor and eventually headed the astronomy department. One of his most renowned students was Nicolaus Copernicus.
Today, Yurii Drohobych is a symbol of Ukrainian scientific progress and integration into the European intellectual sphere. Streets, schools, and even Drohobych State Pedagogical University bear his name.
You may be interested in:
- Who was Heorhii Narbut, and why is he said to have "drawn Ukraine"
- The life of the author of Ukraine's most important song
Sources: Institute of the History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Wikipedia, Encyclopedia of the History of Ukraine, Drohobych State Pedagogical University website
