The Belarusian Gymnasium of Vilnia ( be, Віленская беларуская гімназія) was an important Belarusian school in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

. Many notable Belarusian cultural figures of the 20th century graduated from the school.

History

The Belarusian Gymnasium of Vilnius was founded in early 1919, by the allowance of the

Council of Lithuania The Council of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Taryba, german: Litauischer Staatsrat, pl, Rada Litewska), after July 11, 1918 the State Council of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Valstybės Taryba) was convened at the Vilnius Conference that took place betwe ...

and functioned later during the

Interbellum In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...

, when the city belonged to Poland. Prior to their retreat from the city to

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...

Lithuanians Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another million or two make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Uni ...

allowed opening of the gymnasium in the premises of the former

Basilian monastery Basilian monks are Roman Catholic monks who follow the rule of Basil the Great, bishop of Caesarea (330–379). The term 'Basilian' is typically used only in the Catholic Church to distinguish Greek Catholic monks from other forms of monastic li ...

. The lessons started on 1 February 1919. In the first year of its existence the school also served as an

Orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...

for children from surrounding regions. After the Soviet occupation of

Republic of Lithuania A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

in 1944 the school was closed down. It was reestablished after the

Collapse of the USSR The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

as the Francishak Skaryna Belarusian School of Vilnius.

Teachers

* Radasłaŭ Astroŭski, Principal from 1924 to 1936; formerly Education Minister of the

Belarusian Democratic Republic The Belarusian People's Republic (BNR; be, Беларуская Народная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Narodnaja Respublika, ), or Belarusian Democratic Republic, was a state proclaimed by the Council of the Belarusian Democratic R ...

in 1918 and head of the

Belarusian Central Rada The Belarusian Central Council ( be, Беларуская цэнтральная рада, in lacinka: Biełaruskaja centralnaja rada; german: Weißruthenischer Zentralrat) was a puppet administrative body in German-occupied Belarus during Worl ...

after 1944 *

Barys Kit Boris Uladzimiravich Kit ( be, Бары́с Уладзіміравіч Кіт, russian: Бори́с Влади́мирович Кит; April 6, 1910 – February 1, 2018) was a Belarusian-American rocket scientist. Biography Kit was born on Ap ...

, teacher since 1933, Principal in 1939. Later notable scientist in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and member of the

Belarusian American Belarusian Americans ( be, Беларускія амэрыканцы, ) are Americans who are of total or partial Belarusian ancestry. History There is an assumption that the first Belarusian settlers in the United States, who settled there ...

community

Alumni and students

Michał Vituška Michal Apanasavič Vituška ( be, Міхал Апанасавіч Вітушка; russian: Михаи́л Афана́сьевич Виту́шко, ''Mikhail Afanasyevich Vitushko''; pl, Michał Wituszka; 5 November 1907 – 7 January 1945) was ...

, general and military commander *

Vincent Žuk-Hryškievič Dr. Vincent Žuk-Hryškievič ( be, Вінцэнт Жук-Грышкевіч, sometimes ''Vintsent Zhuk-Hryshkevich'', ; February 10, 1903 – February 14, 1989) was a Belarusian emigre politician. Vincent Žuk-Hryškievič studied at a Belarusi ...

, president of the

in exile * Raisa Žuk-Hryškievič *

Jan Stankievič Jan (Janka) Stankievič (also called Ian Stankevich, be, Ян Станкевіч, pl, Jan Stankiewicz; 26 November 1891 – 16 August 1976) was a Belarusian politician, Nazi collaborator, linguist, historian and philosopher. Biography Jan S ...

, linguist, historian and philosopher * Maxim Tank, poet and translator * Boris Koverda, White Russian assassin, killer of

Pyotr Voykov Pyotr Lazarevich Voykov (russian: Пётр Ла́заревич Во́йков; ua, Петро Лазарович Войков; party aliases: Пётрусь and Интеллигент, or ''Piotrus'' and '' Intelligent'') ( – June 7, 19 ...

(left school before graduation) * Lavon Rydleŭski, Vice-President of the

Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic The Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic ( be, Рада Беларускай Народнай Рэспублікі, Рада БНР, Rada BNR) was the governing body of the Belarusian Democratic Republic. Since 1919, the Rada BNR has bee ...

* Natallia Arsiennieva, playwright, poet, translator, author of the lyrics to the hymn " Mahutny Boža” (Almighty God)

External links

The Francishak Skaryna Belarusian School of Vilnius

Юбілей беларускага школьніцтва ў Вільні
// Рэгіянальны партал «Сьвіслач»
Гісторыя школы і гімназіі
// Віленская сярэдняя школа імя Францішка Скарыны Schools in Belarus Schools in Lithuania {{Lithuania-school-stub