Piaristické gymnázium v Kroměříži School building

Welcome to Kroměříži, a city that tells its face stories of power, faith and the search for truth. Right now, you're standing in front of a place that has been the intellectual heart of this region for centuries. In front of you lies the Piarist Gymnasium, a building that is not just a set of walls and roofs, but a monument to the human desire for education. Stop for a moment, take a breath and feel the atmosphere of this place. In front of you you can see a large Baroque complex, which, with its size and dignity, reminds you of the role the school has played in the past. Notice how buildings surround space and how the spirit of the old days still persists. It is a place where religious ideas met with science and the minds of many generations of young people were formed.

Let us now return in time more than three hundred years back, to the year six hundred eighty-seven. It is this year that the cornerstone of the institution you stand with today was laid. It was founded by Bishop Charles of Olomouc, the second of Liechtenstein-Castelcorn. The bishop was not only a spiritual leader, but also a visionary who understood that the way to the development of society was through quality education. He wanted to bring to Kroměříže order of piarists, a group of priests who specialized in teaching and youth education. This school thus became the eighth constitution of this order in the Czech countries, which shows its importance and prestige at the time of its creation.

If you look at the current form of the campus, you might think the school was here from the very beginning. But the truth is different. In the first years of its existence, the Gymnasium was located in the premises of the extinct Johanite commendation. So it was a time of transition and finding the right place. Only later, in the years of seven thirty to twenty-seven sixty-eight, was this vast Baroque area that you see now. This complex includes not only the Piarist College itself, but also the Church of St. John the Baptist. Look at the facade of the buildings and feel the rhythm of their architecture. The Baroque style that dominates here was designed to create a sense of respect and grandeur, which exactly matched the ambitions of the educational institute that was supposed to be the beacon of enlightenment throughout Moravia.

Now pay attention to the people who defined this place. The Piarists were no ordinary teachers. Their spiritual father was Josef Kalasanský, a man who believed that education should not only be a privilege for the rich, but should also be available to the poor. It was this idea that drove the school's activities in Kroměříži. In addition to the founder of the Order, important personalities such as Václav Daniel Moreska or Bernard Bartlicius were present. Imagine these men walking through the same passageways that we are walking on today, running rumours in Latin or discussing philosophy and science. Their presence here left a trail that lasted a generation.

An interesting detail from the early years of the school is the year six hundred eighty-eight, when the foundation stone was ceremonially laid and a boy's singing seminar was founded. So imagine that the silence of this courtyard was once filled with the voices of young boys who trained here to sing and study music. Music and faith at that time were inseparable and together they formed the cornerstone of education. The school has thus become a place where not only rational activity has developed, but also aesthetic sense.

But as the times changed, so did the school. In the year seven hundred and seventy-four came great school reforms. These changes set up a main school and a lower reality. That was a major break. Education became more open to practical knowledge, reflecting the needs of the Enlightenment period. The school was no longer only about religion and classical languages, but it began to put more emphasis on the sciences that were useful for everyday life and the development of society. Thus, the Gymnasium remained modern and relevant for centuries, adapting to new currents in pedagogy.

You might find one interesting thing that shows how dynamically the school evolved. In a thousand and eight hundred and fifty-one, the building had to respond to the growing needs and number of pupils. This shows that piarist education was in Kroměříži sought after and valued in the nineteenth century. The school was not only a closed monastery, but a living organism that breathed the rhythm of the city and responded to its needs.

Unfortunately, every era has its end. After centuries of education services came the year of a thousand nine hundred nineteen, when the gymnasium was definitively abolished. It was the end of a big chapter in Kromeriz history. Although the school had disappeared in its original sense, its legacy remained carved into these walls and in people's memory. When you look at this baroque complex today, you don't just see old buildings, but you see a place where thousands of young people learned to think, critically evaluate and look for their place in the world.

Look around you again. Feel the silence that rules today, where there used to be loud discussions between students and the strict screams of professors. Notice the harmony between the church of St. John the Baptist and the piarist college. These two buildings form units that symbolize the combination of faith and reason, which was the basic pillar of piaristic pedagogy.

Now that you know the story of this place, I suggest you go around at a slow pace. Try to imagine what it was like to be a student in the eighteenth century, what books you read and what you dreamed of looking out of the windows of these buildings on the Kromerijska street. The Piarist Grammar School reminds us that education is the most valuable gift one generation can give to another.

Thank you for accompanying me on this short journey through history. I hope you felt the depth and meaning of this place. Now I invite you to explore the beauty of Kroměříž. Let yourself be guided by curiosity and discover other hidden treasures of this wonderful city. I wish you a pleasant journey and many new experiences. Goodbye.