University celebrations

The regular ceremonies that take place at the AGH University of Science and Technology include the following:

  • Formal Inauguration of the Academic Year,
  • National Education Day,
  • Mining Ceremonies (Miner’s Day – ‘Barbórka’ (St. Barbara’s Day)),
  • Metallurgy Ceremonies (Metallurgist’s Day),
  • Hoborski Science Days.


The formal inauguration of the academic year
One of the most significant events at AGH UST is the formal inauguration of the academic year, which takes place on October 4. Traditionally, the beginning of the academic year starts with the mass at St. Anna’s Collegiate Church. Then an academic procession, including university authorities, staff members, and students, marches through the university’s premises to the main building. There, in the Assembly Hall, the ceremony continues with its most important part – the matriculation of first-year students.


National Education Day
October 14 marks the date of the inception of the Commission of National Education – a central authority on education in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth which was established by King Stanisław II August in 1773 and is today recognised as the first ministry of education in Europe. The Assembly Hall is where the anniversary celebration takes place, during which the Rector formally confers doctorate and habilitation degrees, as well as grants medals and awards to the university staff. Students who have received scholarships or have excelled in various contests are also invited to collect their distinctions during the ceremony.


Mining Ceremonies
Barbórka (St. Barbara’s day) is a mining holiday, deeply embedded in the AGH UST tradition, drawing on the customs of old Austrian mining schools, which were transplanted onto the Krakow soil by our university professors. Each year, on December 4, Pochód lisów [March of the Foxes] – a mining procession parades through the streets of Krakow. ‘Foxes’ are newly admitted students who enter the mining tribe. On this day, in St. Anna’s Collegiate Church a ceremonial mass is said. The highlight of the celebration is held in the Assembly Hall. Subsequently, in the Main Hall the traditional skok przez skórę [leather jump] takes place, which consists in jumping over the miner’s apron (a short leather apron traditionally worn to protect miners’ clothing as they sat or knelt while working). For first-year mining and geology students, the jump constitutes a rite of acceptance as a miner. The celebration is accompanied by the recurrent Mining Division Student Research Clubs Conference and the International Exhibition and Trade Fair of Minerals, Fossils, and Jewellery. The culmination of the celebration is the annual meeting of the gwarki [guilds]. In recent years, its form has changed: stare strzechy [senior miners] celebrate the end of the miner’s year and sum it up together with newly accepted entrants during Biesiada Górnicza [Miners’ Revel].


Metallurgy Ceremonies
Another remarkable celebration held at AGH UST is the Metallurgist’s Day. The way in which it is celebrated is very similar to the mining ceremonies. The event takes place annually in May, and in addition to the official ceremonies in the Assembly Hall, the programme includes, among other things, the Metallurgy Division Student Research Clubs Conference and an academic conference. Metallurgical traditions, which are nurtured at our university, include the Metallurgist’s Vowing ceremony, which takes place in the Main Hall of the AGH Main Building. Traditionally, the celebration is accompanied by a meeting of academic staff and students during the so-called karczma hutnicza [metallurgy tavern].


Hoborski Science Days
Each year, in October, the AGH UST holds Science Holidays – better known as Hoborski Science Days, named so after a prominent mathematician and the first Rector of AGH Professor Antoni Hoborski. The event aims to popularise science and its technical applications, simultaneously commemorating the figure of Professor Hoborski. The highlight of the holiday is the ceremony held in the AGH Assembly Hall. As part of the Science Days, numerous academic conferences, lectures, presentations, and meetings with notable academics and scientists are held, not to mention various sporting contests, concerts, and other cultural events.