The Riga Polytechnicum was established in 1861 and reorganized into the Riga Polytechnical Institute in 1896. It was the first multi-sector higher technical education establishment in the vast Russian Empire. It was created according to the model of polytechnical schools existing in Western Europe. The article provides information about a number of peculiarities of this higher education establishment, along with its historical importance in economic, scientific, educational, cultural, and political life of Russia (and in particular of Baltic provinces) and Eastern European nation states founded at a later time, as well as of Europe and other nations of the world.