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, 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 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 Radasłaŭ Kazimiravič Astroŭski ( be, Радасла́ў Казі́міравіч Астро́ўскі; pl, Radosław Ostrowski; russian: Радосла́в Казими́рович Остро́вский ''Radoslav Kazimirovich Ostrovskiy'' ...

, 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 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, president of the

in exile *

Raisa Žuk-Hryškievič Raisa Žuk-Hryškievič (, née Žukoŭskaja; 22 October 1919 – 2 April 2009) was a prominent figure of the Belarusian diaspora. Early life Žuk-Hryškievič was born on 22 October 1919 in Pruzhany, Pružany (then Brest district within the C ...

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 Maksim Tank (Belarusian: Максiм Танк, Russian: Максим Танк, real name Jaŭhien Skurko; 17 September 1912 – 7 August 1995) was a Belarusian Soviet poet, journalist and translator. Childhood and activism in West Belarus Ja ...

, poet and translator *

Boris Koverda Boris Sofronovich Kowerda (russian: Бори́с Софро́нович Коверда́, 21 August 1907 – 18 February 1987), also known as Koverda, was a White émigré, monarchist, editor, and proofreader convicted of murdering Pyotr Voykov, ...

, White Russian assassin, killer of Pyotr Voykov (left school before graduation) *

Lavon Rydleŭski Lavon Rydleŭski (; 14 October 1903 - 24 October 1953) was an active participant in the Belarusian independence movement and anti-Soviet resistance and a prominent member of the Belarusian diaspora. Early life Rydleŭski was born in the villag ...

, Vice-President of the Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic *

Natallia Arsiennieva Natallia Arsiennieva (also spelled as Arsenneva or Arsieńjeva; Belarusian language, Belarusian: Наталля Аляксееўна Арсеньева; ; 1903–1997) was a Belarusian playwright, poet and translator who authored the lyrics to th ...

, 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