The Bischöfliches Gymnasium Petrinum () is a Catholic

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

of the

Diocese of Linz The Diocese of Linz ( la, Dioecesis Linciensis) is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vienna, Austria. History Early history In the early Middle Ages the greater part of the territory of the present Diocese of Linz was subject to the bishops of ...

situated on the slopes of Poestlingberg hill in Urfahr, which is a part of

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...

History

On 2 July 1896 the building works began. The imposing structure, which is said to have nearly a thousand windows, housed the Gymnasium and an associated boarding home. The institution, originally thought to educated future priests and prepare them for their time at the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

, soon became one of the leading schools in Upper Austria. In 1903 it was visited by the emperor

Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

. During World War I, the school was used as a

military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned and operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a ...

, which caused the erection of the Kriegerfriedhof (cemetery for dead soldiers). After the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

of Austria by Germany in 1938, Hitler planned to turn the school into a

technical college An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

These plans forced the disruption of the studies at Petrinum, but were never finally carried out. After World War II, at first the

red army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

occupied the house, the regular education being resumed only not until 1946. The boarding home is now closed, the school being co-educational since 1993.

Notable alumni

* Alois Brandstetter – Austrian writer * Rudolf Habringer – Austrian writer, journalist, comedian and pianist *

Augustinus Franz Kropfreiter Augustinus Franz Kropfreiter (9 September 1936 – 26 September 2003) was member of the Austrian , composer and organist. Life Born in Hargelsberg, Kropfreiter spent his school years from 1948 at the Catholic Bischöfliches Gymnasium Petrinum, ...

– Austrian composer *

Josef Pühringer Josef Pühringer (; born 30 October 1949 in Traun) is a former Austrian politician. From 2 March 1995 to 6 April 2017 he was the governor ( Landeshauptmann) of Upper Austria. He is a member of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). He is a memb ...

– governor of

Upper-Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine States of Austria, states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower A ...

Franz Rieger Franz Rieger (August 1895 – 1965) was a German painter. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially kno ...

– Austrian writer * Manfred Scheuer –

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

* Peter Paul Wiplinger – Austrian writer and photographer

External links

Homepage of the Verband der Altpetriner
Schools in Linz {{Austria-school-stub