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Mostar Gymnasium (; sr-cyr, Гимназија Мостар) is a gymnasium in
Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
. Formerly called ''Gimnazija "Aleksa Šantić"'' () in honour of the eponymous poet, it is nowadays popularly referred to as ''Stara gimnazija'' (The Old Gymnasium).


History


Background

The first gymnasium in Bosnia and Herzegovina was established in 1879 in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, capital of the Austro-Hungarian Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mostar, the largest city of the
Herzegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical Regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia (reg ...
region in the south of the Condominium, was by then a developed education centre, second only to the capital. It had a merchants' school, 18 primary schools (two secular schools, one Orthodox, one Catholic girls' school, 4 Muslim boys' schools and 10 Muslim girls' schools), a private German school and a kindergarten. None of the schools, however, prepared students for a higher education, forcing parents to send their minor children to Sarajevo. In February 1893, the local branch of the
Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodox Church#Constit ...
appealed to the National Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The government was concerned that the student body would be too small, expecting Muslims (the most numerous religious group in Mostar) not to be interested. The Orthodox clergymen thus pointed out that their desire was shared by Catholics. The National Government would only allow a lower gymnasium, but the superior Ministry of Finance of Austria-Hungary ordered that the new school be a full gymnasium and opened within 1893. Teachers' and principal's posts were advertised throughout the entire
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 ...
.


Establishment and construction

The school was ceremoniously opened on 26 October 1893 and, despite concerns raised by the National Government, it immediately enrolled members of all of Bosnia and Herzegovina's religious groups: Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Muslims and Jews. The first teaching staff was formed by three teachers, including the Slovene philologist Martin Bedjanič (1855–1931), whose assigned subjects were Bosnian and Latin and who also served as he first principal, and the biologist Antun Pichler (1862–1922), who taught Natural Sciences. They were joined the same year by a Catholic and an Orthodox religion teacher, by their Muslim counterparts the following year, and finally by a Jewish religion teacher. Until the present building became functional in 1898, classes were held in a leased house of the city councillor Husaga Komadina (brother of the future mayor Mujaga Komadina). Besides instructions in Islam, Serbian Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism or Judaism, the compulsory subjects were Bosnian, German, Latin, Greek (or, alternatively, Classical Arabic for Muslim students), Geography and History, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Philosophical Propaedeutics, Free-Hand Drawing, Penmanship and Gymnastics. Singing, French, Italian, Stenography and
Gusle The gusle () or lahuta (; related to English ''lute'') is a bowed single- stringed musical instrument (and musical style) traditionally used in the Dinarides region of Southeastern Europe (in the Balkans). The instrument is always accompanie ...
were optional subjects. The Minister of Finance
Béni Kállay Béni Kállay de Nagy-Kálló or Benjamin von Kállay (; – ) was an Austro-Hungarian statesman and a Hungarian nobility, Hungarian nobleman. Early life Kállay was born in Pest (today part of Budapest). His family derived their name from t ...
took it upon himself to provide the gymnasium with a proper building. The first design was offered by the Czech architect Max David in 1897, but Kállay turned it down and gave the project to another Czech architect,
František Blažek František Blažek (1863 in Zálší (Ústí nad Orlicí District), Zálší – 1 January 1944 in Prague) was a Czechs, Czech architect who designed a great number of buildings in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Austro-Hungarian period. Work I ...
. The first half of the gymnasium was completed in 1898 and the second in 1902. Featuring Andalusian and
Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...
elements as an example of
Moorish Revival architecture Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mid-19th centu ...
, the building is the result of Austro-Hungarian desire to promote Bosnian national identity while avoiding its association with either 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 ...
or the growing
pan-Slavic movement Pan-Slavism, a movement that took shape in the mid-19th century, is the political ideology concerned with promoting integrity and unity for the Slavic people. Its main impact occurred in the Balkans, where non-Slavic empires had ruled the South S ...
by creating an "
Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both Secularity, secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Muslim world, Islamic world encompasse ...
of European fantasy". The gymnasium is thus of historic value and is considered a national monument. The first students included the geographer Jevto Dedijer (whose lowest grade was in Geography), the poet
Osman Đikić Osman Đikić (; 7 January 1879 – 30 March 1912) was a Serb poet from Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia, dramatist and writer. He was born in Mostar, in Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina under Austro-Hunga ...
(awarded for performance but later expelled for political activity) and the journalist
Risto Radulović Risto Radulović "Rinda" ( sr-cyrl, Ристо Радуловић; 21 September 1880 – 15 March 1915) was a journalist and politician who promoted the English political thought and sociology in Bosnia and Herzegovina under control of Austria-Hun ...
. The first girls to enroll the school, in 1905, were Jewish sisters
Marija Marija is a feminine given name, a variation of the name Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek names Μαριαμ, or Mariam, and Μαρια, or Maria, found in the New Testament. Depending on phonological rules concerning consecut ...
(1894–1987) and Berta Bergman (1892–1945), later a university professor and a physician respectively. Marija was, for a time, also employed as German Language teacher at the gymnasium.


Yugoslav period

The school belonged to the most renowned and academically prestigious educational institutions in
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
, and was possibly the most reputable school in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It numbered 2,000 students, including
Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
,
Bosnian Croats The Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina (), often referred to as Bosnian Croats () or Herzegovinian Croats (), are native to Bosnia and Herzegovina and constitute the third most populous ethnic group, after Bosniaks and Serbs. They are also one of ...
and
Bosnian Serbs The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби Босне и Херцеговине, Srbi Bosne i Hercegovine), often referred to as Bosnian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, босански Срби, bosanski Srbi) or Herzegovinian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, � ...
alike. The school
alumni Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...
include the historian
Vladimir Ćorović Vladimir Ćorović ( sr-cyrl, Владимир Ћоровић; 27 October 1885 – 12 April 1941) was a Serb historian, university professor, author, and academic. Ćorović served two terms as the Rector of the University of Belgrade and twice ...
, the philosopher and poet
Dimitrije Mitrinović Dimitrije "Mita" Mitrinović (Serbian Cyrillic: Димитрије Мита Митриновић; 21 October 1887 – 28 August 1953) was a Serbian philosopher, poet, revolutionary, mystic, theoretician of modern painting and traveler. Biograph ...
, and the writer
Predrag Matvejević Predrag Matvejević (7 October 1932 – 2 February 2017) was a Bosnian and Croatian writer and scholar. A literature scholar who taught at universities in Zagreb, Paris and Rome, he is best known for his 1987 non-fiction book ''Mediterranean: A ...
. The Communist activist and future Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Avdo Humo Avdo Humo (; 1 February 1914 – 24 January 1983) was a Yugoslav and Bosnian communist politician, writer and an Order of the People's Hero recipient. Humo held highest positions in the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1972, H ...
also attended the gymnasium before being evicted in November 1931 due to "committing political transgressions at school".


The Bosnian war and the post-war era

The gymnasium was considerably damaged due to shelling during the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
, particularly so during the
Croat–Bosniak War The Croat–Bosniak War or Croat–Muslim War was a conflict between the Bosniak-dominated Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, supported by Croatia, that lasted from 18 October 1992 to 23 February 19 ...
, being located at the front line. Following the war, classes for Bosnian Croat students were held on a single floor of the ruined building, with Bosniak students returning in 2004. Renovation of the gymnasium started the same year and was completed in 2009.


Present

The Mostar Gymnasium presently operates under two separate secondary school curricula and in two completely
mutually intelligible In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is a relationship between different but related language varieties in which speakers of the different varieties can readily understand each other without prior familiarity or special effort. Mutual intellig ...
language varieties, Bosnian and Croatian, with sports and a few classes combined. Though it was originally intended to fully integrate subjects or at least the science ones (Biology, Chemistry, Information Technology, Mathematics and Physics), the idea of unification was fiercely opposed by local politicians, especially Croat officials who felt that their national identity was being threatened. Nevertheless, integration has been achieved to a certain extent in what has been called a "rare social experiment". Students themselves mostly welcomed the desegregation. Located in the very centre of the town, next to the former front line which has divided the town into two spheres since the war, it is one of the first schools in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina in which the integration of students from different ethnic groups was implemented, and the only such school in Mostar. As of 2013, the school is attended by about 360 Bosniaks and about 290 Croats. There are two six-hour sessions a day, the first session reserved for third and fourth-year students, and the second session for first and second-year students.


United World College

In 2006,
Queen Noor of Jordan Noor Al Hussein (; born Lisa Najeeb Halaby; August 23, 1951) is an American-born Jordanian philanthropist and activist who was the fourth wife and widow of Hussein of Jordan, King Hussein of Jordan. She was Queen of Jordan from their marriage on ...
, president of the
United World Colleges The United World Colleges (UWC) is an international network of schools and educational programmes with the shared aim of "making education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future." The organisation was fo ...
, opened the
United World College in Mostar The United World College in Mostar (UWC Mostar) ( bcs, Koledž Ujedinjenog svijeta u Mostaru) is a part of the United World College, founded by Elisabeth Rehn (UN Special Rapporteur on the Secretary General for the United Nations Mission in Bos ...
, which is housed on the gymnasium's third floor.


See also

*
Architecture of Mostar Centuries before the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman conquest of Bosnia, Mostar was a small hamlet situated at a strategic crossing of the Neretva river. Its hinterlands consisted of a broad agricultural plain on the west bank and steep terraces on the eas ...
*
National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina The National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina (NUL) ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Nacionalna i univerzitetska biblioteka Bosne i Hercegovine'' / Национална и универзитетска библиотека Бо ...


References


External links


The official website of Gimnazija Mostar
{{Coord, 43, 20, 34, N, 17, 48, 24, E, , display=title Buildings and structures in Mostar Education in Mostar Gymnasiums in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1893 establishments in Austria-Hungary Educational institutions established in 1893 School buildings completed in 1902 Moorish Revival architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina