On November, 17 the world celebrates the International student’s day. Today we celebrate this day as a holiday but actually it commemorates the tragedy of patriotic death of Polish students.
The International student’s day was established in 1946 at the World students' congress in Praha. It is the Czech Republic that is one of the first countries which were occupied by the fascists in the beginning of the World War II – in autumn of 1939. On October 28, 1939 the Czech Republic celebrated the 21st anniversary Independence Day and students and professors went out to the streets of Praha to organize a demonstration marking the date. Occupants broke up the demonstration having killed a student of the medical faculty – Yan Opletal. His funeral (November, 15) degenerated into a protest movement. As a result the occupants arrested dozens of demonstrators and in the morning enveloped students’ hostels. 1200 students in total were arrested, who further were sent to the concentration camp Sachsenhausen. In Ruzyne prison (one of the districts in Praha) nine students and activists of the student movement without legitimate criminal investigations and court decisions were put to death. After that Adolf Hitler ordered to close all higher education institutions of the Czech Republic. In commemoration of the tragedy there was established the International student’s day.
Student’s day is celebrated by many countries nowadays. For modern Czech Republic November, 17 is celebrated as a Day of students’ fight for freedom and democracy. In Greece they celebrate Polytechneo (in November), in Finland – Vappu (in May) and Harvard University of the USA celebrates “Hasty Pudding” – a theatrical event (in February). In Russia we have two student’s days – before the student’s winter examination period and after it – International student’s day on November, 17 and St. Tatyana’s day on January, 25.
Congratulations to students of Saint Petersburg state university of architecture and civil engineering on the International student’s day!