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Under a great and beneficial influence of progressive Russian culture and its outstanding progressive-minded representatives the Ukrainian culture and public education is making its first rides. Through the efforts of Vasil Kharasin, one of the bright representatives of local Kharkiv nobility and Kharkiv‘s Ukrainian nobility the Kharkiv University was founded. V. Karazin had managed to prove, creation of university in Kharkiv would improve further economic and cultural development of the South of Russia. Since that time the city also became an important educational centre in Ukraine and the Russian Empire and throughout the entire southern part of the country as a whole. In the 19-th century four boys‘ gymnasiums, six secondary schools, a veterinary institute, a technological institute and secondary commercial, technical, skilled-trade, agricultural, music art and midwifery schools were opened in Kharkiv. The city also had an art school and opera house.
Economic development of Kharkov region launched formation of cultural, scientific and educational centre in the east of Ukraine. Within the walls of Kharkiv Collegium where the prominent Ukrainian philosopher and poet G. S. Skovoroda gave his lectures, a lot of outstanding people obtained education. We can name just a few: I.I. Bazylevych, doctor of medicine and surgery M.I. Gnedich, a talanted master of translation, a poet, a librarien of the Imperial Public Library, whose translation of Homer‘s ?Illiada? into Russian is well-known, V. V. Petrov, M. T. Kachanovskyi, a historian, Ye.Y. Mukhin, a physician. Among graduates of Kharkiv Collegium there were such persons as I.O. Dvygubskyi, a prominent researcher of nature, and P.A. Yaroslavskyi, the first professional Kharkiv architect, who,
working as the Guberniya Architect, developed almost 30 years to systematic building of the city. Graduates of Collegium became first students of Kharkiv University founded 17 January, 1805 on the initiative of V.M. Karazin, a famous member of staff of scientific body and a public figure. Among its students there were many prominent people.