In 1756, the Academy of Chełmno was granted the status of a colony of the Jagiellonian University, with lectures given by professors from Krakow, among others. It educated various figures who achieved great success in later years. These include the Reverend Stanisław Kujot, a distinguished historian of Pomerania and chairman Society of Arts and Sciences in Toruń, and Ludwik Rydygier, an exceptional surgeon – who performed the world’s first gastrectomy in Chełmno – and professor of the universities in Krakow and Lviv (in addition to being a rector of the latter).

History

The first attempts to establish a university in Chełmno, in 1386 and 1434, proved fruitless. However, from 1470 (or 1473) onwards, there existed an institution called Studium Particulare, which was run by the Brethren of the Common Life – who had been brought to Chełmno from the Netherlands and were the only representatives of this congregation. It is likely that the school in Chełmno was also attended by Nicolaus Copernicus. However, the school fell into decline in the late 1530s. A new secondary school was founded in 1554; however, due to the staff’s reformative leanings, the institution did not receive the support of the bishops of Chełmno, who were in charge of the town, which caused its downfall. The secondary school founded in the late 17th century was awarded the status of the Academy of Chełmno (without being granted the rights of a higher education institution) in 1692, which is also when the current seat was constructed. For many years, efforts were made to establish closer relations with the Jagiellonian University, which resulted in the granting of the status of its academic colony in 1756. It was then that the three-storey school was extended through addition of a building with five axes on the west side. However, in 1779, pursuant to an order of the Prussian authorities, the professors from Krakow were forced to leave the school. Consequently, it was closed in 1818. Less than twenty years later, another secondary school was opened in the building, which operated until the 1870s. Unfortunately, the numerous extensions and alterations resulted in the loss of distinct Baroque features of the building. During one of the renovations – in the first half of the 19th century – the third storey was removed. The new façades and the common roof over both parts of the school (the older and the more recent one) were constructed in the third quarter of the 19th century.

Description

The building of the former Academy of Chełmno is situated in the western part of the old town – between the market square and the peripheral wall; near the junction of Franciszkańska Street and Szkolna Street. The front façade of the structure faces south.

The building was erected on an elongated rectangular floor plan with a pronounced avant-corps in the north façade. The building consists of the main section, which is covered with a gable roof, and an annex – on the west side – with a shed roof.

Originally, the façade was designed in the Baroque style, but it is no longer visible as a result of numerous renovations and alterations. The front wall with the main entrance and the rear wall each have twelve axes. The east façade has three axes and is topped with a triangular gable while the western façade has five axes in the ground floor section, with an entrance on the central axis, and three axes in the upper section.

Each storey is adorned with rustication and separated from the rest by a profiled intermediate cornice. The ground floor section features a slightly protruding profiled plinth. The first-floor windows feature plaster surrounds and are crowned with cornices.

The interiors follow a two-bay layout, and is divided by a corridor running from one end to the other. The stairwell is situated in a front suite of rooms and houses half-turn stairs with a landing. Surviving elements of the former buildings include fragments of a Gothic wall, which is adorned with niches with painted decorations, and early modern niches in the corridor (for using stoves).

The monument is open to visitors. It currently houses the Academy of Chełmno Lower Secondary School No. 1.

Prepared by Mateusz Załuska.

Bibliography

• Pomorze w zabytkach sztuki. Chełmno, Chrzanowski T., Kornecki M., Wrocław-Warszawa-Kraków 1991, p. 187.
• Zespół zabytków Chełmna, Bogusław Mansfeld, Warszawa 1983, pp. 37–40.
• Record sheet, Akademia Chełmińska ob. Szkoła Podstawowa nr 1, prepared by Gzyło M., 1996, Archive of the Voivodeship Heritage Protection Office in Toruń and Archive of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Warsaw.