Jelgava Gymnasium or Academia Petrina is the oldest higher educational establishment in Latvia. Based on an idea by , it was established in

Mitau Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united ...

, capital of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, by Duke

Peter von Biron Peter von Biron (15 February 1724 – 13 January 1800) was the last Duke of Courland and Semigallia, from 1769 to 1795. Life and reign Peter was born in Jelgava (german: Mitau) as the oldest son of Ernst Johann von Biron, future Duke of Cou ...

in 1775. The duke wanted to attract professors like

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...

and Johan Gottfried Herder, but they refused. After the

partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for ...

, Jelgava became part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

and the gymnasium unsuccessfully petitioned to become a university. Nevertheless, it became an important cultural hub not only for Latvians, but also Lithuanians. Many famous professors had lectured in Academia Petrina for example Johann Benjamin Koppe (1775),

Johann August von Starck Johann August Starck also ''Stark'' (28 October 1741 – 3 March 3, 1816) was a prolific author and controversial Königsberg theologian, as well as a widely read political writer now best remembered for arguing that an Illuminati-led conspiracy br ...

(1777–1781) and (1775–1811). During World War I, the school was evacuated to

Taganrog Taganrog ( rus, Таганрог, p=təɡɐnˈrok) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of the Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: History of Taganrog Th ...

in Rostov Oblast while its 42,000-volume library was burned by troops of

Pavel Bermondt-Avalov Pavel Rafailovich Bermondt-Avalov (russian: Павел Рафаилович Бермондт-Авалов) or Pavel Avalishvili ( – 27 December 1973) was an Ussuri Cossack and warlord. He is best known as the commander of the West Russian Vol ...

. During World War II, the historical school building was almost completely destroyed, therefore school was reestablished in new premises. The original building was later restored and now functions as the Jelgava History and Art Museum.

Name

* 1775 Academia Petrina * Gymnasium Petrinum * since 1837: official name in German ''Gouvernements-Gymnasium'' * 1934 to 1940: ''Hercoga Pētera ģimnāzija'' (Herzog-Peter-Gymnasium) * after 1945: Jelgavas 1. vidusskola (Jelgavan Secondary School Nr. 1) * 15. August 1991: 1. Gymnasium * 2012: Jelgavas Tehnoloģiju vidusskola (Technical Secondary School Jelgava)

History

The establishment of the academy was based on an idea by Friedrich Wilhelm von Raison: ''"But the whole province owes him excellent thanks for the effective part, which he took at the foundation of the Mitauian Gymnasium. He was actually the one who persuaded Duke Peter to do so; it was he who corresponded with Sulzern regarding the plan to be drawn up and because of the appointment of the first teachers and he who prescribed the books for the library and the instruments for the observatory; just as he also continuously participated in the perfection of the institute until his death".'' The intention was to establish a complete

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

with all four faculties in Mitau. This plan was rejected because of Kurland's dependence on Catholic-Polish rule. Under the law of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

a university could not be founded without the consent and confirmation of the Pope, and it was unclear whether and when the permission by the papal curia to establish a Protestant theological faculty could have been obtained. Therefore, this intention was abandoned and it was decided to found an

academic gymnasium The Academic Gymnasium Danzig (german: Akademisches Gymnasium Danzig, pl, Gdańskie Gimnazjum Akademickie, Latin: ''Gymnasium Dantiscanum'') was a school founded in Gdańsk, Poland. It was founded in 1558 by Johann Hoppe (1512–1565), who had p ...

which - half school, half university - should enjoy all the rights of a university, with the exception of the privilege of granting academic dignity.

People

Notable students

Teachers

References

External links

Official website
1775 establishments in Europe Schools in Latvia 18th-century establishments in Latvia Duchy of Courland and Semigallia {{Latvia-school-stub