If you wish to use the photographs published in the exhibitions, please write a free-form request to the Director of the KTU Library and obtain her permission.
KTU Library’s Virtual Exhibition
If you wish to use the photographs published in the exhibitions, please write a free-form request to the Director of the KTU Library and obtain her permission.
Antanas Purėnas was a lecturer at the Higher Courses from 1921 to 1922, from 1922 he was a professor at the Faculty of Mathematics and Science of the University of Lithuania and the head of the Department of Organic Chemistry.In 1922-1924 and 1925-1927 Purėnas was the Secretary of the Faculty of Mathematics and Science, in 1924-1925, 1927-1928 and 1938-1939, he was the Secretary of the University. He served as head of the department (until 1962), was vice-rector of the university in 1933-1938 and 1939-1940, and the rector in 1940-1941 and 1944-1947.
Liuda Purėnienė, the wife of A. Purėnas, handed over her husband’s personal library, which had been accumulated for many years, to the KTU Library. In 2014, this collection of books, manuscripts and science-related documents was taken over by the Library’s Rare Books Group. Collection’s diversity and uniqueness of its management prompted us to take an interest not only in Purėnas’ work at the university, but also in his personality as a scholar, teacher, and press and public figure.
| 1922 02 16–1924 09 01; 1925 09 01–1927 09 01 | Secretary of the Faculty of Mathematics and Science of the University of Lithuania |
| 1924 09 01–1925 09 01; 1927 09 01–1928 09 01 | Secretary of the Senate and University Council of the University of Lithuania |
| 1933 09 01–1938 05 03 | Vice-Rector of Vytautas Magnus University |
| 1938 09 01–1939 04 18 | Secretary of the Senate and Council of Vytautas Magnus University |
| 1939 09 01–1940 09 01 | Vice-Rector of Vytautas Magnus University |
| 1940 09 01–1941 07 11 | Rector of Kaunas State University |
| 1944 07 16–1947 01 16 | Rector of Kaunas State Vytautas Magnus University |
| 1921 09 01–1922 02 16 | Lecturer in organic chemistry at the Kaunas Graduate School |
| 1922 02 16–1930 09 01 | Associate professor at the Faculty of Mathematics and Science of the University of Lithuania, since 6 July 1922, an extraordinary professor, head of the Department of Organics |
| 1930 09 01–1940 09 01 | Extraordinary Professor of Faculty of Mathematics and Science of the Vytautas Magnus University, Head of the Department of Organic Chemistry |
| 1940 09 01–1941 08 01 | Professor in the Faculty of Technology of Kaunas University, Head of the General Chemistry Department (Organic Chemistry since 1940) |
| 1941 08 01–1944 08 01 | Extraordinary Professor of Faculty of Technology of the Vytautas Magnus University, Head of the Department of Organic Chemistry |
| 1944 08 01–1950 12 31 | Extraordinary Professor of Faculty of Technology of the Kaunas State Vytautas Magnus University, Head of the Department of Organic Chemistry |
| 1951 01 01–1962 11 05 | Professor of Organic Chemistry at the Faculty of Chemical Technology of the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute, Professor of Organic Chemistry and Technology since 1962 |
Purėnas taught organic chemistry to many students, who later became his co-workers.
After returning from Humboldt University in Berlin, Prof. Purėnas founded the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry at the University of Lithuania. It had the necessary scientific tools for organic synthesis work. Practical work in the laboratory started in the spring semester of 1924. From 1926 to 1927, it employed 20 student botanists and zoologists, 6 chemists, 2 pharmacists and 2 technicians.
One of the greatest works of Prof. Antanas Purėnas is the development of Lithuanian terminology in the field of chemistry. The students needed textbooks in Lithuanian, so the professor translated from German one of the best textbooks for higher education at the time (used by many European universities), Arnold Frederick Hollemann’s “Textbook of Organic Chemistry” (Lehrbuch der Organishen Chemie), published in 1925. On the initiative of Purėnas, the textbooks for the theoretical course in organic chemistry and laboratory work were translated from Russian.
The bibliography of Purėnas’ scientific works comprises more than 40 titles. Many of his articles were written with co-authors. They were published in the issues of the publications “Works of Kaunas Polytechnic Institute”, “Works of the Academy of Sciences of the Lithuanian SSR”, “Kosmos”, “Science and Life”, “Science and Technique” and others.
Prof. Purėnas edited scientific journals on the topic of chemistry, from 1923 to 1936 he edited “Works of the University of Lithuania”, and from 1930, “Scientific Papers of the Faculty of Mathematics and Science of the VMU” (mathematics, zoology, geology, and other fields), “VMU News” (Member of the Editorial Board, Editor-in-Chief), the magazine “Nature” published by the Society of Naturalists. From 1940 he edited the publications “Mintis” and “Kultūra”, wrote articles for the magazines “Skardas”, “Žarija”, “Kosmos” and others. He took part in the publication of the “Lithuanian Encyclopaedia”, “School and Society”, contributed to the “Lithuanian Newspaper”, “Naujoji Gadynė”, etc.
Purėnas had a great influence on the young people of his hometown Tatkonys and other surrounding villages, teaching them to read newspapers and books. Because of his artistic skills, the professor used to bring young people together almost every year to perform a play. Purėnas is remembered as an energetic director with subtlety and patience. He was a good violinist, and used to form a small village band consisting of an armonica, a violin and a clarinet.
In 1934, when Purėnas visited the homestead of Prof. Tadas Ivanauskas in Obelynė, the host had an idea, which he later implemented: he invited his colleagues Antanas Purėnas, Prof. Vladas Lašas and Prof. Zigmas Žemaitis to form a community and to breed the black-and-silver foxes in Lapynė.
Liuda Purėnienė, the wife of Prof. Antanas Purėnas, handed over her husband’s long-established personal collection of books, manuscripts, various documents related to his scientific activities, etc. to the KTU Library.
The personal library is based on prints from the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century: textbooks on organic and non-organic chemistry for university students, scientific books on the history of chemistry, chemical analysis, and other fields (mathematics, geology, physics, pedagogy), and lecture materials in English, German, Russian, French and Latvian.
The collection includes 110 titles and 8 manuscripts. 76 books were published before 1945 (the oldest ones in 1885, 1897 and 1899) and 34 after 1945 (the latest one in 1962).
Many of the books in the professor’s collection are bound in thick brown paper, numbered (the number indicating the location of the book in the library), and almost all of them have bibliographic description cards with the author, title, place of publication, year, edition number, and, in some of them, the date of acquisition.
The collection also includes several works by Purėnas’ students or co-workers with dedications to the professor.
Sources and literature:
1. BALTRUŠIS R. Profesorius Antanas Purėnas. Kaunas: Technologija, 2008, 186 p.: iliustr., portr.
2. Lietuvos universiteto veikimo apyskaita (1922.II.16–1924.VI.24). Kaunas, 1924, 298 p.
3. Visuotinė Lietuvių enciklopedija. T. 19: Preadaptacija-Reutov. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras, 2011, p.316.
4. Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas: antrųjų penkerių veikimo metų (1927.II.16–1932.IX.1) apyskaita. Kaunas: [s. n.], „Spindulio“ spaustuvė, 1927, 527 p.
The exhibition was organised by the Chief Librarian of the Rare Books Group Dr. Edita Korzonaitė, edita.korzonaite@ktu.lt, 300 658.