The article presents the circumstances of the resumption of activities of Polish universities in Warsaw and Vilnius in 1915 and 1919. It describes the political situation that accompanied both events. In the case of the University of Warsaw, it was the realities of World War I and the desire of the emperors of Germany and Austria-Hungary to win over Poles against the Russians. In the case of Vilnius University, it was the renewal of Polish scientific and cultural life and confirmation of the annexation of the Vilnius Region to the Republic of Poland, which was at the time still at war with Soviet Russia.
The author presents the first structures of the revived universities and the profiles of their rectors: prof. Józef Brudziński in Warsaw and prof. Michał Siedlecki in Vilnius. The focus is also placed on recreating the celebrations themselves, which have already been described by contemporaries as historical. The course of these events and their artistic setting have been reconstructed on the basis of historical accounts (newspapers, photographs). Much of the discussed material has been included as illustrations and recalled for the first time in one hundred years.