Liegnitz Ritter-Akademie

The Liegnitz Ritter-Akademie or knight academy was a school for the schlesischen aristocracy established in the seventeenth century. It existed until 1945 and then became general High School.

History

The duke of Liegnitz, George Rudolf (†1653) of the Piast dynasty died childless. He left in its will of 1646 substantial means for the establishment a school for noble Protestant boys from Silesia, placed under the administration of the Liegnitz Johanniskirche through the "Johannisstiftung". After the death of his great-nephew George William I of Liegnitz Brieg Wohlau (born 1660, duke 1672-1675), the last governing Piasten, his territory was taken over by the Habsburgs as part of the Counter-reformation which forced Catholicism of the people of Silesia. The assets of the "Johannisstiftung" were taken by the emperor and the Johanniskirche was handed over to Jesuits. Only after Altranstaedter convention of 1708 were the assets of the Johannisstifung again released for a new school for the aristocracy, in equal numbers to boys of both denominations. In the year 1811 the academy was opened up to non aristocrats and by 1901 it became a national school existing until 1945. The main building of the knight academy was built in the years 1726 - 1738 in the baroque style to the design of the architect Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach. The pupils still wore a blue uniform with yellow collar and yellow cuffs, with blue-yellow garrison cap, but no weapon. From 1945 to 1992 it was the headquarters for soviet troops stationed in Silesia, now a part of Poland. The building has since been restored.

Teachers and high-level personnel

* 1708: August Bohse (1661-1740), was from 1708 a professor at the knight academy
* 1788: Karl Abraham baron von Zedlitz (1731-1793), Royal Prussian minister of education and law (from 1770), was from 1788 to 1789 a director of the knight academy
* 1815: Friedrich Kruse (1790-1866), historian, was around 1815 a teacher at the knight academy
* 1818: Carl Friedrich Mosch (1784-1859), mineralogist, draughtsman and a writer, was from 1818 to his retirement 1835 teachers at the knight academy
* 1910: Hans's Ernst count von Carmer Carmer-Zieserwitz (1861-1922), property gentleman on Zieserwitz, member of the Prussian Lower House and the realm daily, Royal Prussian major, was around 1910 curator of the knight academy and the pc. of Johannis pin
* 1910: Antonius Dietrich von Auer (1860-1923), Royal Prussian major, was around 1910 governor of the knight academy