The Bora Stanković Gymnasium ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Гимназија „Бора Станковић” Врање, Gimnazija „Bora Stanković” Vranje) is a public coeducational

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

( gymnasium, similar to preparatory school) located in

Vranje Vranje ( sr-Cyrl, Врање, ) is a city in Southern Serbia and the administrative center of the Pčinja District. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 55,214 while the city administrative area has 74,381 inhabitan ...

in southern

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. The school was established in 1881 as one of the first gymnasiums in Serbia, only three years after the city was liberated from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in the Battle of Vranje during the Serbian–Ottoman Wars of 1876–1878. Notable faculty members of the school include Jaša Prodanović,

Radoje Domanović Radoje Domanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Радоје Домановић; February 16, 1873 – August 17, 1908) was a Serbian journalist, writer and teacher, most famous for his satirical short stories. His adult years were a constant fight against ...

Ljubomir Davidović Ljubomir Davidović (24 December 1863 – 19 February 1940) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who served as prime minister (1919–1920 and 1924) of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later called Yugoslavia). Biography Davido ...

, Ilija Vukićević,

Svetislav Simić Svetislav Simić (; 4 March 1865 — 8 March 1911) was a Serbian diplomat and journalist who was one of the most deserving civil servants for helping and organizing the Serbian Chetnik Organization in Macedonia (region), Macedonia. Early life ...

and others.

History

The school began operating in Deliver-Bey's konaks, known as Pasha's konaks, where it functioned for nearly half a century. During the

Bulgarian occupation of Serbia during World War I The Bulgarian occupation of Serbia during World War I started in Autumn 1915 following the invasion of Serbia by the combined armies of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. After Serbia's defeat and the retreat of its forces across Albania, ...

, the school was not operational. When Vranje was again occupied during World War II, the Vranje Gymnasium became the only school in Serbia to cease operations. Under the Bulgarian occupation, it was transformed into a police prison. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, due to an increase in the number of students and inadequate conditions, an initiative was launched to construct a dedicated school building. Construction of the new building began in 1931, and students first entered its classrooms in September 1933. The placement of the seven busts—

Vuk Stefanović Karadžić VUK or Vuk may refer to: *Vuk (name), South Slavic given name ** Vuk, Ban of Bosnia (), a member of the Kotromanić dynasty ** Vuk Karadžić (1787–1864), Serbian language reformer and folklorist, often referred to simply as Vuk * ''Vuk'' (film) ...

Borisav Stanković ) , honorific_prefix = , honorific_suffix = , image = Bora Stanković.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Stanković's statue in Vranje , native_name = , native_name_lang = sr , pseudon ...

Ivan Gundulić Dživo Franov Gundulić (; 8 January 1589 – 8 December 1638), better known today as Ivan Gundulić, was the most prominent Baroque literature, Baroque poet from the Republic of Ragusa (now in Croatia). He is regarded as the Croatian national ...

Saint Sava Saint Sava (, ; Old Church Slavonic: ; Glagolitic: ; ; 1169 or 1174 – 14 January 1235/6), known as the Enlightener or the Illuminator, was a Serbs, Serbian prince and Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox monk, abbot of Studenica Monastery, Studeni ...

Ivan Mažuranić Ivan Mažuranić (; 11 August 1814 – 4 August 1890) was a Croatian poet, linguist, lawyer and politician who is considered to be one of the most important figures in Croatia's political and cultural life in the mid-19th century. Mažuranić se ...

France Prešeren France Prešeren () (3 December 1800 – 8 February 1849) was a 19th-century Romantic Slovene poet whose poems have been translated into many languages.

, and Petar Petrović Njegoš—on the facade of the Vranje Gymnasium reflects the spirit of the newly established

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...

, which sought to foster a sense of shared identity and cultural unity among

South Slavs South Slavs are Slavic people who speak South Slavic languages and inhabit a contiguous region of Southeast Europe comprising the eastern Alps and the Balkan Peninsula. Geographically separated from the West Slavs and East Slavs by Austria, ...

. In 1959, the school was officially named "Bora Stanković" after Borislav Stanković, but it is still commonly referred to by locals as the Vranje Gymnasium.

References

{{Authority control Gymnasiums in Serbia Vranje Educational institutions established in 1881