The Ernestine Gymnasium (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

name: Ernestinum, used in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

) is a humanistic and modern gymnasium in

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...

, Germany, the successor of the Illustrious Gymnasium (''Gymnasium illustre''), founded in 1524, which in 1853 was merged with the recently founded ''Real-Gymnasium Ernestinum'', named in honour of

Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Ernest I (; 2 January 178429 January 1844) served as the last sovereign duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (as Ernest III) from 1806 to 1826 and the first sovereign duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1826 to 1844. He was the father of Prince Albert, ...

. The merged school continued to be known as the ''Ernestinum''. Until 1947, when it was closed, it was considered the oldest gymnasium in the German-speaking world. It was re-founded in 1991, shortly after

German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

History

The school's earliest forerunner was a Latin school at the parish church of St Mary, which is mentioned in 1291.Christoph Köhler ''et al.'' (eds.), ''Festschrift zum 475-jährigen Schuljubiläum des Gymnasium Ernestinum Gotha 1524–1999'' (Gotha, 1999), p. 8

On 21 December 1524, the school was founded by

Friedrich Myconius Friedrich Myconius (originally named Friedrich Mekum and also Friedrich Mykonius) (26 December 1490 – 7 April 1546) was a German Lutheran theologian and Protestant reformer. He was a colleague of Martin Luther. Myconius was born in Lichtenfe ...

, a friend of

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

, in the cloister of the Augustinian monastery of Gotha, which was in the process of being dissolved, and was given the Latin name ''Gymnasium Gothanum''.150 Jahre Gymnasium Ernestinum Jahresheft 2008/09
at ernestinum-gotha.de, accessed 17 September 2020 As a result of the Reformation, in the middle of the 16th century the curriculum was changed significantly, under the direction of (1562–1568). His focus was grammar, the understanding of Roman authors, and careful written work by the students, and he also introduced

declamation Declamation (from the Latin: ''declamatio'') is an artistic form of public speaking. It is a dramatic oration designed to express through articulation, emphasis and gesture the full sense of the text being conveyed. History In Ancient Rome, decl ...

.Historia Gymnasii Ernestini 1524–2014
at ernestinum-gotha.de, accessed 17 September 2020 Around 1600, the school's name was honoured by the addition of "illustrious" by Duke John Casimir of Saxe-Coburg. Under the rector Andreas Wilke (1592–1631) the number of schoolmasters and classes increased. In the 17th century, the school was further sponsored by Duke Ernest I of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. He gave asylum to sons of persecuted Lutherans from Hungary, Silesia, Poland, Russia, and Scandinavia, who joined the school. Under the rector Andreas Reyher (1641–1673), the Gotha school system was reformed on the principles of Wolfgang Ratke, and the school became known internationally. The number of subjects increased, with the introduction of Mathematics, poetry, and history, and for the first time there was teaching in German. Rhetoric, logic, ethics, and metaphysics, were taught in the ''Selecta'', or final year.Köhler ''et al.'' (1999) By 1723, the school was already known as the ''Gymnasium Ernestinum''. In the 18th century, the

Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

reshaped education in much of northern Europe, and the school received great support from Duke Ernest II of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, guided by the principle that good education in all subjects was essential for the economic and political stability of the Duchy. Under Johann Gottfried Geißler as rector (1768–1779), the time given to ancient languages was reduced in favour of the

natural sciences Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

and German, English, and French literature. The school enjoyed notable rectors, including Friedrich Andreas Stroth (1779–1785), and Friedrich Wilhelm Döring (1786–1833), and also renowned schoolmasters such as

Johann Georg August Galletti Johann Georg August Galletti (19 August 1750 – 16 March 1828) was a German historian and geographer. Galletti was born in Altenburg, Holy Roman Empire. His fame is not based on his merits as an academic, but on his reputation as the creator ...

, Johann Friedrich Salomon Kaltwasser, Adolf Heinrich Friedrich von Schlichtegroll, Johann Kaspar Friedrich Manso, and Friedrich Jacobs. In 1807, the future philosopher

Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer ( ; ; 22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher. He is known for his 1818 work ''The World as Will and Representation'' (expanded in 1844), which characterizes the Phenomenon, phenomenal world as ...

was admitted to the schoolDavid Cartwright, ''Schopenhauer: A Biography'' (Cambridge University Press, 2010, ), p. 128 and in 1808 was expelled for a prank.Arthur Schopenhauer
at brandeis.edu, accessed 23 September 2020 Ernestinum Gotha 16

Between 1837 and 1838, a new school building was built in the classical style in the Bergallee. However, the school was challenged by a new competitor, founded in 1836 by the reigning Duke for the benefit of the bourgeoisie, the ''Real-gymnasium Ernestinum'', which had a chiefly scientific and mathematical curriculum. At the older school, chemistry, physics, and geology began to be taught as separate subjects, and the modern languages French and English overtook Latin in importance. On 12 April 1859, the Illustrious Gymnasium and the Ducal Realgymnasium were merged into a single school, which was named ''Gymnasium Ernestinum Gothae'' in honour of Duke Ernest I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The new school was given a new rector, Joachim Marquardt, (1859–1882), notable for securing discipline without harsh punishments. The school grew, gaining an auditorium, new library rooms, and a gymnasium. Medaille Karl Joachim Marquardt 1883

Following Marquardt's death in 1882, the school commissioned a medallion to commemorate him, made by the local engraver Ferdinand Helfricht. Heinrich Anz (1914–1935) continued to lead a humanistic grammar school under the Weimar Republic.Helge Matthiesen, ''Bürgertum und Nationalsozialismus in Thüringen: das bürgerliche Gotha von 1918 bis 1930'' (G. Fischer, 1994), pp. 12, 46 A new rector, Otto Küttler (1938–1945), took the school through the Second World War, when it suffered from masters and boys departing on military service. During the war the school library was evacuated to Friedenstein Palace. The school was by then considered the oldest grammar school in the German-speaking world. After the war, the school found itself in the

Soviet occupation zone The Soviet occupation zone in Germany ( or , ; ) was an area of Germany that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a communist area, established as a result of the Potsdam Agreement on 2 August 1945. On 7 October 1949 the German Democratic Republ ...

. With the introduction of a new educational system, a humanistic grammar school was no longer required. The last Abitur exams were held in the 1945/46 school year, and in the spring of 1947, the school was closed.Detlef Ignasiak, ''Das literarische Gotha: von den Anfängen bis zum Ausgang des 20. Jahrhunderts'' (Quartus-Verlag, 2003), p. 372 (in German) On 10 April 1947, the boys were transferred to a school called the Arnoldischule. The former school buildings were taken over by a new middle school, and then in 1959 by a polytechnic high school, which in 1965 was named POS Albert Schweitzer.

Refounding in 1991

On 1 November 1991, following

, the Ernestine Gymnasium was re-established, with Lutz Wagner as ''Schulleiter'', or Principal, and in 1993 the first

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

examinations took place, after a gap of 48 years. Until 1947, the school had been for boys only, but it was decided to make the newly refounded school coeducational.

Rectors

* Basilius Monner (1524 to 1535)''Real-Enzyklopädie für protestantische Theologie und Kirche'', vol. 10 (1882)
p. 401
/ref>''Geschichte und Beschreibung des Herzogthums Gotha'', Volume 1 (Gotha: Carl Wilhelm Ettinger, 1779),
p. 245
/ref> *Laurentius Schipper (1535 to 1537) *Georg Merula (1537 to 1540) *Pankratius Sussenbach (1540 to 1561) *Cyriacus Lindemann (1562 to 1568) *Paul Schmidt (1568 to 1572) *Johann Meyer (1572 to 1580) *Johannes Dinckel (1580 to 1582) *Johann Helder (1582 to 1592) *Andreas Wilke (1592 to 1631) *Johann Weitz (1631 to 1640) * Andreas Reyher (1641 to 1673) *Georg Hess (1673 to 1694)''Beihefte zu den Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Deutsche Erziehings- und Schulgeschichte'', Volumes 18-21 (Berlin: A. Hofmann, 1909), p. 340 *Gottfried Vockerodt (1694 to 1727) *Johann Heinrich Stuss (1728 to 1768) *Johann Gottfried Geissler (1768 to 1779) *Friedrich Andreas Stroth (1779 to 1785) *Friedrich Wilhelm Döring (1786 to 1833) *Ernst Friedrich Wüstemann (1833 to 1856) *Eduard Adolf Jacobi (1833 to 1841) *Gottfried Seebode (1838 to 1841) *Valentin Rost (1841 to 1859) * Joachim Marquardt (1859 to 1882) * Eduard Wilhelm Sievers (1882 to 1883) *Eduard Heinrich Albert von Bamberg (1883 to 1910) *Ludwig Mackensen (1910 to 1914) *Heinrich Anz (1914 to 1935) *Otto Küttler (1938 to 1945)

Principal

*Lutz Wagner (since 1991)Dirk Bernkopf
“Ernestinum in Gotha”
12.11.2013, at thueringer-allgemeine.de, accessed 23 September 2020

Notable pupils

Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff or Seckendorf (December 20, 1626December 18, 1692), German statesman and scholar, was a member of the House of Seckendorff, a noble family which took its name from the village of Seckendorf between Nuremberg and Lan ...

(1626–1692), attended the school from 1641 to 1642 *

August Hermann Francke August Hermann Francke (; 22 March 1663 – 8 June 1727) was a German Lutheran clergyman, theologian, philanthropist, and Biblical scholar. His evangelistic fervour and pietism got him expelled as lecturer from the universities of Dresden and ...

(1663–1727) *

Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (11 May 1752 – 22 January 1840) was a German physician, naturalist, physiologist and anthropologist. He is considered to be a main founder of zoology and anthropology as comparative, scientific disciplines. He has be ...

(1752–1840), founder of the discipline of

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

, left the school in 1769 * Adolf Stieler (1775–1836), at the school 1786 to 1793, geographer * Joseph Meyer, 1807 *

, 1807, expelled 1808 *

Christian Ludwig Brehm Christian Ludwig Brehm (24 January 1787 – 23 June 1864) was a German pastor and Ornithology, ornithologist. He was the father of the Zoology, zoologist Alfred Brehm. Life Brehm was born in Schönau (Odenwald), Schönau near Gotha on 24 Ja ...

, to 1808, ornithologist * Friedrich Wilhelm Carl Umbreit (1795–1860), theologian, was at the school 1809 to 1814 *

Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer (10 January 1800 – 21 June 1873) was a German Protestant divine. He wrote commentaries on the New Testament and published an edition of that book. Biography Meyer was born in Gotha. He studied theology at Jena, was ...

(1800–1873), theologian, left the school in 1818 with the title of ''primus omnium'' * Raphael Kühner, to 1820 *

Karl Ernst Georges Karl Ernst Georges (; 26 December 1806, Gotha – 25 August 1895, Gotha) was a German classical philologist and lexicographer, known for his edition of Latin-German dictionaries. From 1826 to 1828 he studied classical philology at the Univers ...

, returned to the school as a schoolmaster from 1839 to 1856 * Ernst Behm, to 1849 * Christian Behrens (1852–1905), sculptor, left the school in 1870 * Hans Freiherr von Wangenheim, diplomat, German Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire 1912–1915 * Hans Dominik (1872–1945), German science fiction and non-fiction author, science journalist and engineer * Hans Hahn (1914–1982), Second World War ace fighter pilot * Werner Leich (born 1927), later Lutheran bishop in Thuringia, was at the school from 1939 to 1942, when he volunteered for the ''Luftwaffe'', and again from 1945 to 1947, after the war.

Notable staff members

* Johann Kaspar Friedrich Manso, 1783 to 1790, historian and philologist *

, Latin master, 1778 to 1819, became famous for his whimsical sense of humour * Friedrich August Ukert, schoolmaster from 1808 * Carl Anton Bretschneider, (1808–1878), mathematician * Hermann Wagner (1840–1929), geographer and cartographer, taught classes in mathematics and natural history at the school from 1864 to 1876 *

Kurd Lasswitz Kurd Lasswitz (; 20 April 1848 – 17 October 1910) was a German author, scientist, and philosopher. He has been called "the father of German science fiction". He sometimes used the pseudonym ''Velatus''. Biography Lasswitz studied mathematic ...

(1848–1910), schoolmaster from 1876 to 1910, teaching maths, physics, and philosophy Robert Markley, ''Dying Planet: Mars in Science and the Imagination'' (Duke University Press, 2005)
p. 127
John J. Pierce, ''Foundations of Science Fiction: A Study in Imagination and Evolution'' (Greenwood Press, 1987), p. 74

Notes

External links

Gymnasium Ernestinum Gotha Trailer
at

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{{authority control Gotha Gymnasiums in Germany 1524 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire