Mihai Viteazul National College () is a high school located at 22 Kós Károly Street,

Sfântu Gheorghe Sfântu Gheorghe (; or ''Szentgyörgy'' ; ; English lit.: ''Saint George'') is a city that serves as the seat of Covasna County in Transylvania, Romania. Located in the central part of the country, it lies on the Olt River in a valley between ...

, Romania. The old wing of the school was built in 1908–1910, on the site of a demolished beer factory; the area was then part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

. New buildings were added over the years, such as a dormitory and a gymnasium. Rădița Palela
About
at the Mihai Viteazul National College site Courses opened in September 1920, nearly two years after the

union of Transylvania with Romania The union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia. The Great Union Day (also called ''Unification Day''), celebrated on 1 December, is a Public holidays in Romani ...

. The institution was originally a normal school for training teachers, and was dedicated to Queen Marie. In the 1922–1923 school year, there were 279 girls in attendance, of whom 204 were promoted. Students came from various parts of

Greater Romania Greater Romania () is the Kingdom of Romania in the interwar period, achieved after the Great Union or the related pan-nationalist ideal of a nation-state which would incorporate all Romanian speakers.Irina LivezeanuCultural Politics in Greate ...

and had different social backgrounds; some were the daughters of bureaucrats or farmers, while others were World War I orphans.Mareș, p. 391 By 1926–1927, there were 310, of whom 304 were ethnic Romanian. Students would venture into the countryside, holding literary and cultural events for the Székely villagers, hoping to “revive” the Romanian language, traditional dress and games. Officials of the period assumed that many Székely were really “hidden” Romanians whose buried national consciousness could be brought to the surface. With the onset of the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

, the queen's name was dropped. The school underwent several changes in focus, from philology and history to industry. Eventually dedicated to

Michael the Brave Michael the Brave ( or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593–1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711), Transylvani ...

, it was declared a national college in 2001. It is the only regular high school in Sfântu Gheorghe where teaching is done in Romanian; the others are Hungarian-language schools. The school building is listed as a

historic monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.Lista Monumentelor Istorice 2010: Județul Covasna

Notes

References

* Felicia Mareș, “De la școala normală de învățătoare "Regina Maria" la liceul teoretic "Mihai Viteazul" din Sf. Gheorghe”, in ''Angustia'', nr. 3/1998, pp. 391–96

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mihai Viteazul National College (Sfantu Gheorghe) Historic monuments in Covasna County Sfântu Gheorghe Schools in Covasna County Educational institutions established in 1920 1920 establishments in Romania National Colleges in Romania School buildings completed in 1910