Riga Polytechnicum, 1862-1918

Riga Polytechnicum was foremost established inside 1862 and was the number one polytechnical institute around Imperial Russia. It offered degrees witharound agriculture, chemistry, engineering, mechanics, trade & architecture, by using education in German language. Inside 1896, it was renamed Riga Polytechnical Institute and a language of instruction was changed to Russian.

Once the World War I started in 1914, Riga Polytechnical Institute was evacuated to Moscow and worked there until 1918. Fallowing that, section of a faculty returned to Latvia & joined the new constituted University of Latvia. Others stayed around Russia & taught at universities there.

Riga Technical University, 1958-now

Riga Polytechnical Institute was re-established inside 1958 by splitting off the engineering departments from either University of Latvia. Around 1990, it was renamed to Riga Technical University. A university presently consists of Octonary faculties: Faculty of Architecture Faculty of Building & Civil Engineering Faculty of Computing & Reference Technology Faculty of Electronics & Telecommunications Faculty of Engineering Economics Faculty of Materials Science & Applied Chemistry Faculty of Power & Electrical Engineering Faculty of Transfer & Mechanical Engineering As of 2003, it had 17,281 students.

Notable faculty and alumni

Wilhelm Ostwald - Nobel prize winner in chemistry, faculty 1881-1887 Friedrich Zander - rocketry and spaceflight pioneer, alumnus Ignacy Moscicki - president of Poland (1922-1939), alumnus