Traian National College () is a high school located at 6 Carol I Boulevard in

Drobeta-Turnu Severin Drobeta-Turnu Severin (), colloquially Severin, is a city in Mehedinți County, Oltenia, Romania, on the northern bank of the Danube, close to the Iron Gates. It is one of six Romanian county seats List of cities and towns on the river Danube, lyin ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. The idea of a high school for Turnu Severin appeared in 1864, when the nascent Romanian state implemented an education reform; at the time, local students had to go to

Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It i ...

or elsewhere for high school.Pruna, p. 2 A normal school opened in 1877; it was named after the Roman emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...

due to his association with the local

Trajan's Bridge Trajan's Bridge (; ), also called Bridge of Apollodorus over the Danube, was a Roman segmental arch bridge, the first bridge to be built over the lower Danube and considered one of the greatest achievements in Roman architecture. Though it was ...

. Meanwhile, an apprentices' school was founded in 1872.Pruna, p. 3 The two institutions had shut down by 1883, when their furniture and books were used to establish a new gymnasium. The first years were difficult: the school was located in several rented buildings and in the old town hall; there were a maximum of four teachers for nearly 80 students.Pruna, p. 4 A permanent building, designed by Alexandru Săvulescu, was approved in 1890.

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Gheorghe Manu attended the groundbreaking, alongside

Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu (; 26 February 1838 – ) was a Romanian writer and philologist who pioneered many branches of Romanian philology and history. Life He was born Tadeu Hâjdeu in Cristineștii Hotinului (now Kerstentsi in Chernivtsi ...

, sent by the Education Ministry. Construction proceeded quickly, with the final touches made in late 1891. An attempt to rename the school after

Neagoe Basarab Neagoe Basarab (; – 15 September 1521) was the Voivode (Prince) of Wallachia between 1512 and 1521. Born into the boyar family of the Craiovești (his reign marks the climax of the family's political influence) as the son of Pârvu Craioves ...

was soon dropped.Pruna, p. 5

Theodor Costescu Teodor D. Costescu (March 15, 1864 – March 25, 1939) was a Romanian educator and politician. Costescu was born in Rovinari. After graduating from the University of Bucharest with a degree in natural sciences, he became a teacher at Craiova in 18 ...

, who arrived in 1892, is considered the key figure in the school's early years. He was responsible for introducing a uniform in 1893 and opening a library in 1896. He also designed a garden with flowers and bushes brought from the Mühle House in

Timișoara Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...

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 ...

; this was completed in 1899."Proiect...", p. 3 He was dismissed as principal later that year after a change in government.Pruna, p. 6

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Carol I Carol I or Charles I of Romania (born Karl Eitel Friedrich Zephyrinus Ludwig von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen; 20 April 1839 – ), was the monarch of Romania from 1866 to his death in 1914, ruling as Prince (''Domnitor'') from 1866 to 1881, and as ...

visited in 1897."Proiect...", p. 3 In 1902, a bronze bust of Carol I, sculpted by an alumnus who had settled in Italy, was placed on a pedestal of

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

granite and set up at the school. During World War I, when the area was occupied by the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

, part of the teachers continued to work, while others withdrew to the

Western Moldavia Western Moldavia (, ''Moldova de Apus'', or , also known as Moldavia, is the core historic and geographical part of the former Principality of Moldavia situated in eastern and north-eastern Romania. Until its union with Wallachia in 1878, the P ...

region, along with the government. Several students and teachers enlisted in the

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces () is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. Since 2007, full professionalization and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Land Forces. The Romanian Land Forc ...

, while a few teachers, including

George Oprescu George Oprescu (27 November 1881 – 13 August 1969) was a Romanian historian, art critic and collector. Born into a poor family, he developed a taste for the fine arts early in life, as well as for the French language, which he taught into his fo ...

, were detained in German camps located in Bulgaria. A school stadium was completed in 1923, and a dormitory, now a museum, in 1926. A new, easterly wing was built between 1937 and 1948. In March 1949, early during 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 ...

, Gheorghe Eftimiu and Ion Bocârnea, two 12th-grade students who belonged to the anti-communist resistance movement, were executed in Isverna forest.

Cicerone Ionițoiu Cicerone ( ) is an old term for a guide who conducts visitors and sightseers to museums, galleries, etc., and explains matters of archaeological, antiquarian, historic or artistic interest. The word is presumably taken from Marcus Tullius Cicero, ...

"Victimele terorii comuniste. Arestați, torturați, întemnițați, uciși. Dicționar E"
/ref> Cicerone Ionițoiu

/ref> Over the ensuing decade and a half, three teachers as well as alumni died in prison. A bust of

Mihai Eminescu Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanians, Romanian Romanticism, Romantic poet, novelist, and journalist from Moldavia, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Emin ...

was inaugurated in 1958, and a statue of Costescu and a student in 1972. The western wing opened in 2003."Proiect...", p. 4 Around 1000 students in grades 9 through 12 attend the school."Proiect...", p. 5 Alumni include

Gheorghe Ionescu-Sisești Gheorghe Ionescu-Sisești (16 October 1885–4 June 1967) was a Romanian agronomer. He was elected titular List of members of the Romanian Academy, member of the Romanian Academy in 1936,Șerban Cioculescu Șerban Cioculescu (; 7 September 1902 – 25 June 1988) was a Romanian literary critic, literary historian and columnist who was born in Drobeta-Turnu Severin and died in Bucharest. He held teaching positions in Literature of Romania, Romanian ...

Ștefan Odobleja Ștefan Odobleja (; 13 October 1902 – 4 September 1978) was a Romanian physician, scientist, and philosopher. He was known for his contributions to the study of cybernetics and artificial intelligence. His major work, ''Psychologie Consonanti ...

Ioan-Iovitz Popescu Ioan-Iovitz "Iovitzu" Popescu (October 1, 1932 – 22 December, 2023) was a Romanian physicist and linguist, emeritus professor at University of Bucharest, Faculty of Physics, and member of the Romanian Academy. In the field of physics, he is b ...

, Victor Gomoiu,

Ecaterina Andronescu Ecaterina Andronescu (; born 7 April 1948) is a Romanian engineer, professor, and politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), she sat in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies from 1996 to 2008, representing Bucharest, and was a Senato ...

Mihai Stănișoară Mihai Stănișoară (born June 11, 1962) is a Romanian engineer and politician. A member of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and formerly of the Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L), he was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Mehedinți ...

Geo Saizescu Geo Saizescu (14 November 1932 – 23 September 2013) was a Romanian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He appeared in 22 films between 1963 and 2009 and directed 16 films between 1956 and 2012. He was born in Oprișor, Prisăceaua, Me ...

and Al. C. Calotescu-Neicu."Calotescu-Neicu, Alexandru C."
at the Alexandru and Aristia Aman County Library 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 Mehedinți
/ref>

Notes

References

* Nicolae Pruna
"Raport asupra campaniei de cercetare privind istoricul Colegiului Național 'Traian' Drobeta Turnu- Severin, în perioada iulie-august 2013"
at the Traian National College site *
Proiect de dezvoltare instituțională 2015–2019
at the Mehedinți County School Inspectorare site

External links

* {{Coord, 44, 37, 26, N, 22, 39, 34, E, display=title Drobeta-Turnu Severin Schools in Mehedinți County National Colleges in Romania 1883 establishments in Romania Educational institutions established in 1883 School buildings completed in 1891 Historic monuments in Mehedinți County