The Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (Herzen University) is one of the oldest teacher-training institution in Russia.
It was founded on 2(14) May 1797 by Emperor Paul I as St. Petersburg Educational House, and later lay the foundations for other pedagogical institutions in the XIX – early XX centuries. These were formed into a single pedagogical institute by Decree of the People’s Commissar for Education on 1 September 1918. On 15 January 1920 the Presidium of the All-Union Executive Committee decreed that the institute be named after Alexander Herzen.