Stiftsgymnasium Melk
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Stiftsgymnasium Melk (german: link=no, Melk Abbey's gymnasium) is a Roman Catholic
Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...
-run gymnasium located in
Melk Melk (; older spelling: ) is a city of Austria, in the federal state of Lower Austria, next to the Wachau valley along the Danube. Melk has a population of 5,257 (as of 2012). It is best known as the site of a massive baroque Benedictine monastery ...
,
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. The gymnasium is located within and run by the well-known monastery
Melk Abbey Melk Abbey (german: Stift Melk) is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, Lower Austria, Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river, adjoining the Wachau valley. The abbey contains the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau and the ...
. Founded in the 12th century as a monastic school, it is also the oldest continuously operating school in present-day Austria.


History


Medieval monastic school

The earliest documents proving the existence of a medieval
monastic school Monastic schools ( la, Scholae monasticae) were, along with cathedral schools, the most important institutions of higher learning in the Latin West from the early Middle Ages until the 12th century. Since Cassiodorus's educational program, the stan ...
at Melk Abbey are a
parish register A parish register in an ecclesiastical parish is a handwritten volume, normally kept in the parish church in which certain details of religious ceremonies marking major events such as baptisms (together with the dates and names of the parents), ma ...
and some parchment scraps dating back to about 1140 and 1160 respectively. It is assumed that it was founded sometime in the first half of the 12th century, but it may already hung over from the monastery's establishment in 1089. In the 15th century, alongside the ''Melk Reform'' strongly influencing Austrian and Bavarian Benedictine
religious life Consecrated life (also known as religious life) is a state of life in the Catholic Church lived by those faithful who are called to follow Jesus Christ in a more exacting way. It includes those in institutes of consecrated life (religious and se ...
, the school flourished and gained reputation. So, for instance, in 1446 a monk called Simon wrote an education book for six-year-old King
Ladislaus the Posthumous Ladislaus the Posthumous( hu, Utószülött László; hr, Ladislav Posmrtni; cs, Ladislav Pohrobek; german: link=no, Ladislaus Postumus; 22 February 144023 November 1457) was Duke of Austria and King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia. He was the ...
of Hungary. However, starting from around 1530 and mainly caused by the onset of the
Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
in the
Habsburg Empire The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
, the abbey suffered from a dramatic lack of personnel, and so did the school. In 1566, there were only six clergymen. This crisis went on until the end of the 16th century, when in the wake of the
Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...
more and more students from South German
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
Colleges attended the school. Those students, amongst them also ''poeta laureatus'' Laurentius Flenheintius, brought along very good education and raised the school's standard again. Therefore, in 1596 it was reshaped along the lines of a Jesuit College. Through this reform only the four lower classes remained in Melk, to finish school students had to do two further sessions in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
. In 1707, Abbot Berthold Dietmayr converted the school into a full, contemporary gymnasium.


Modern school 1707–1938

Starting from the beginning of the 1781/82 session, the Stiftsgymnasium due to Empress
Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...
’s education policies was referred to as ''gymnasium publicum'', a type of school that was "partially open to the public". In 1787,
Joseph II Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 unt ...
relocated it to
Sankt Pölten Sankt Pölten (; Central Bavarian: ''St. Pödn''), mostly abbreviated to the official name St. Pölten, is the capital and largest city of the State of Lower Austria in northeast Austria, with 55,538 inhabitants as of 1 January 2020. St. Pölten ...
since he had made the city a diocesan town three years before and thus wanted it to have an "appropriate" school, too. The school then did not return to Melk until 1804. In 1811, Abbot Anton Reyberger established the school's boarding home, which was opened November 7. Moreover, a preparatory class (''praeparanda'') was introduced to facilitate pupils’ transition from their small village schools to gymnasium, it persisted until 1927. In 1850, the number of classes was raised to eight and hence in 1851 the first
Matura or its translated terms (''Mature'', ''Matur'', , , , , , ) is a Latin name for the secondary school exit exam or "maturity diploma" in various European countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech ...
exams could take place in Melk. At that time, the school's scientific collections were constituted and exceptionally promoted. According to the school's annual report of 1861 in that year there was a total enrollment of 208, including 51 boarders. As from 1873 there were secular teachers in minors, from 1879/80 those taught chief subjects as well. In 1877/78 the school was structurally extended, so, for instance, a new physics room and a new refectory were built. In 1905, the ''Episcopal Seminary of Melk'' was unclosed, where until its closure in 2006 pupils of Stiftsgymnasium were housed. In order to distinguish them from the students who lived in the boarding home situated in the monastery (germ. ''Konvikt'') and hence were called ''Konviktisten'' those seminary pupils were known as ''Seminaristen''. After Austria's incorporation into the
German Reich German ''Reich'' (lit. German Realm, German Empire, from german: Deutsches Reich, ) was the constitutional name for the German nation state that existed from 1871 to 1945. The ''Reich'' became understood as deriving its authority and sovereignty ...
(''
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 ...
''), by March 13, 1938, Principal Fr. Wilhelm Schier was deposed and replaced by the Nazi-affiliated Fr. Coelestin Schoiko. In late 1938 the school was closed down completely and later converted into a
National Political Institute of Education National Political Institutes of Education (german: Nationalpolitische Erziehungsanstalten; officially abbreviated NPEA, commonly abbreviated Napola for ''Nationalpolitische Lehranstalt'' meaning National Political Teaching Institute) were ...
(commonly known as ''Napola'').


Since 1945

After some reconstruction and clearing work was done it was possible to restore school life as early as by September 1945. In 1966, an annual student exchange program to Saint John's Preparatory School in
Collegeville, Minnesota Collegeville is an unincorporated community in St. Wendel Township, Stearns County, Minnesota, United States, near St. Joseph. The community is located near the junction of Collegeville Road and Old Collegeville Road. Nearby is Saint John's Abb ...
(also operated by a Benedictine abbey, Saint John's) was established, and is currently still operating. With appreciably declining enrollment numbers, Stiftsgymnasium was declared
co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
(admitting girls as well) by the session of 1967/68, and a modern-language branch ("neusprachlicher Zweig", focusing on French), as opposed to the "classical" branch ("humanistischer" or "altsprachlicher Zweig", focused on the teaching of
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
and
Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
), was adopted. In 1972, Abbot Reginald Zupancic appointed Ernst Wegscheider principal; thereby, the office was held by a
layman In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...
for the very first time. Since 1973 all teachers at Stiftsgymnasium are publicly funded, posing a markedly financial relief for the school.


Notable alumni

The Stiftsgymnasium's alumni as well as other former students are called ''Altmelkers''. There is an
alumni association An alumni association or alumnae association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students (alumni). In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools (especially independent schools), ...
named ''Verein der Altmelker und Freunde'' (''Association of old Melkers and Friends''), which furthermore awards scholarships to current students. *
Gregor Werner Gregor Joseph Werner (28 January 1693 – 3 March 1766) was an Austrian composer of the Baroque period, best known as the predecessor of Joseph Haydn as the ''Kapellmeister'' of the Hungarian Esterházy family. Few of Werner's works survive to the ...
(1693–1766), composer *
Johann Georg Albrechtsberger Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (3 February 1736 – 7 March 1809) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist, and one of the teachers of Ludwig van Beethoven. He was a friend of Haydn and Mozart. Biography Albrechtsberger was born at Kl ...
(1736–1809), musician *
Friedrich Halm Baron Eligius Franz Joseph von Münch-Bellinghausen (german: Eligius Franz Joseph Freiherr von Münch-Bellinghausen) (2 April 180622 May 1871) was an Austrian dramatist, poet and novella writer of the Austrian Biedermeier period and beyond, and is ...
(1806–1871), dramatist and poet *
August Sicard von Sicardsburg August Sicard von Sicardsburg (6 December 1813 – 11 June 1868) was an Austrian architect. He is best remembered as the co-architect of the Vienna State Opera, together with Eduard van der Nüll. Sicardsburg was born in Buda. He studied archi ...
(1813–1868), architect * Karl Werner (1821–1888), theologian *
Carl Zeller Carl Adam Johann Nepomuk Zeller (19 June 1842 – 17 August 1898) was an Austrian composer of operettas. Zeller was born in Sankt Peter in der Au, the only child of physician Johann Zeller and Maria Anna Elizabeth. Zeller's father died before hi ...
(1842–1898), composer *
Karl Kautsky Karl Johann Kautsky (; ; 16 October 1854 – 17 October 1938) was a Czech-Austrian philosopher, journalist, and Marxist theorist. Kautsky was one of the most authoritative promulgators of orthodox Marxism after the death of Friedrich Engels in ...
(1854–1938), political theoretician and philosopher *
Spiridon Gopčević Spiridon Gopčević (junior), pen name Leo Brenner ( sr-cyr, Спиридон Гопчевић; 9 July 1855 – 1928) was a Serbs, Serbian-Austrian Empire, Austrian astronomer and historian born in Trieste. Life He was named after his father, Spi ...
(1855–1928), astronomer and historian *
Adolf Loos Adolf Franz Karl Viktor Maria Loos (; 10 December 1870 – 23 August 1933) was an Austrian and Czechoslovak architect, influential European theorist, and a polemicist of modern architecture. He was an inspiration to modernism and a widely-k ...
(1870–1933), architect *
Franz Blei Franz Blei (pseudonyms: Medardus, Dr. Peregrinus Steinhövel, Amadée de la Houlette, Franciscus Amadeus, Gussie Mc-Bill, Prokop Templin, Heliogabal, Nikodemus Schuster, L. O. G., Hans Adolar; January 18, 1871, ViennaJuly 10, 1942, Westbury, Lon ...
(1871–1942), writer and critic * Leopold Blauensteiner (1880–1947), painter *
Albert Paris Gütersloh Albert Paris Gütersloh (born Albert Conrad Kiehtreiber; 5 February 1887 – 16 May 1973) was an Austrian painter and writer. Gütersloh worked as actor, director, and stage designer before he focused on painting in 1921. As a teacher of A ...
(1887–1973), painter *
Leopold Vietoris Leopold Vietoris (; ; 4 June 1891 – 9 April 2002) was an Austrian mathematician, World War I veteran and supercentenarian. He was born in Radkersburg and died in Innsbruck. He was known for his contributions to topology—notably the Mayer–V ...
(1891–2002), mathematician and supercentenarian *
Franz König Franz König (3 August 1905 – 13 March 2004) was an Austrian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of Vienna from 1956 to 1985, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1958. The last surviving cardinal elevated by Pope John ...
(1905–2004), Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Vienna *
Wilhelm Beiglböck Wilhelm Franz Josef Beiglböck (10 October 1905 – 22 November 1963) was an internist Nazi Party, Nazi physician and held the title of Consulting Physician to the German Luftwaffe (Airforce) during World War II. In the 1947 Doctors' Trial, ...
, (1905–1963), internist, WWII war criminal *
Georg, Duke of Hohenberg Georg, Duke of Hohenberg (25 April 1929 – 25 July 2019), was, at the time of his death, the senior agnate of the House of Lorraine, House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Life Georg was born at Artstetten Castle in the community of Artstetten-Pöbring, L ...
(1929-2019), heir presumptive to the Austrian throne and diplomat *
Josef Hader Josef may refer to *Josef (given name) *Josef (surname) Josef is the surname of the following people: * Jens Josef (born 1967), German composer of classical music, a flutist and academic teacher * Michelle Josef (born 1954), Canadian musician and tr ...
(born 1962), comedian and actor *
Otto Lechner Otto Lechner (born February 25, 1964) is an Austrian accordionist. Lechner taught himself to play the accordion starting at age four. He has been blind since age 15. Lechner is currently a member of the group Accordion Tribe and musical director ...
(born 1964), musician *
Hermine Haselböck Hermine Haselböck (born 7 March 1967 in Melk, Lower Austria) is an Austrian mezzo-soprano in opera, concert and lied. Career After graduating from Stiftsgymnasium Melk Haselböck studied with Rita Streich at the Vienna Music Academy and cont ...
, mezzo-soprano


Notable teachers

*
Bernhard Pez Bernhard Pez (22 February 1683, at Ybbs near Melk – 27 March 1735, at Melk, Lower Austria) was an Austrian Benedictine historian and librarian. Life He studied at Vienna and Krems, and in 1699 entered Melk Abbey. Having studied the classic ...
(1683–1735), historian and librarian *
Gabriel Strobl Gabriel Strobl (3 November 1846 in Unzmarkt, Styria, Austrian Empire – 15 March 1925 in Admont, Benediktinerstift) was an Austrian Roman Catholic priest and entomologist who specialised in Diptera. In 1866 the then 20-year-old Gabriel Strob ...
Biography of Gabriel Strobl
on zobodat.at (1846–1925), entomologist


See also

*
List of the oldest schools in the world This is a list of extant schools, excluding universities and higher education establishments, that have been in continuous operation since founded. The dates refer to the foundation or the earliest documented contemporaneous reference to the sch ...


References


External links

*
History of Stiftsgymnasium
{{authority control Catholic schools in Austria Benedictine secondary schools Schools in Austria Buildings and structures in Lower Austria Educational institutions established in the 12th century Melk