Liepāja Nicolai Gymnasium was a six-year (later seven) gymnasium (high school) in Liepāja (Libau), Courland Governorate, Russian Empire.
It was established in 1865 on the basis of a school that traced its roots to 1848.[1] The school was named in honor of Nicholas Alexandrovich, Tsesarevich of Russia. The school building was constructed in 1883–1885 by architect Paul Max Bertschy.[2] The school was diverse in students' religious and ethnic background. For example, in 1884, out of 398 pupils, 161 were Evangelical Lutherans (41.2%), 130 Jews (33.3%), 76 Catholics (19.4%) and 22 Eastern Orthodoxs (5.6%).[1] The curriculum devoted substantial attention to the Latin and Greek languages. The language of instruction was switched from German to Russian in 1887.[1]
The school continued to function until its evacuation to Petrograd during World War I (1915).
Principals
School principals were:[1]
- Karl Lessevs (Carl Lessew, 1865–1869)
- Nikolai Lenstrēms (Nicolai Lenström, 1870–1883)
- Albert Volgemuts (Albert Wohlgemuth, 1883–1905)
- Nicolai Papilov (1905–1908)
Prominent students
Many prominent Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, and German people studied at the gymnasium, including:[1]
- Leonas Bistras, Prime Minister of Lithuania
- Balys Dvarionas, Lithuanian composer
- Oswald Külpe, German psychologist
- Gabriel Narutowicz, President of Poland
- Stanisław Narutowicz, Signatory of the Act of Independence of Lithuania
- Issai Schur, Jewish mathematician
- Salomėja Stakauskaitė, one of the first group of women parliamentarians in Lithuania
- Konstanty Skirmunt, Polish diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Aleksandras Stulginskis, President of Lithuania
- Juozas Tūbelis, Prime Minister of Lithuania
- Antanas Vienuolis, Lithuanian writer
- Max Weinreich, Jewish linguist
References
56°30′31″N 21°00′25″E / 56.50861°N 21.00694°E