Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu National College
Encyclopedia
The Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu National College is the most important high school in Buzău
, Romania
. It was named after the Romania
n scholar and historian Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
. Founded in 1867, it is the oldest state-funded high-school in Buzău.
in Romania, ruled that in the country's major cities state-funded secular high and secondary schools were to be open. In 1865, the government organized schools in several cities, leaving out Buzău, however. This decision was motivated by a lack of funds, and by the fact that in Buzău there was already a secondary school functioning, the Theological Seminar. That school was not, however, secular, and the citizen's pressure persuaded the mayor to open a secondary school in 1867.
The school was funded by the municipality. It functioned on the premises of the city primary school and its first headmaster was Luca Pavlovici Călăceanu. Upon the headmaster's request for a curriculum, the Ministry of Public Instruction sent him the curriculum taught at the Saint Sava National College
in Bucharest
. The new public secondary school was attended by 11 students, all in the junior grade.
was received. The city decided, however, to teach the same secondary school curricula. During this year, the school had three teachers and no headmaster, being managed directly by the mayor.
The school was in a poor state by 1870, so the education inspector from Ploieşti
, Ioan Eliade, recommended that the school be appointed a provisional headmaster and that a final decision be made on the type of school and the curricula that should be taught.
, without further examination. The school was named The Tudor Vladimirescu
Secondary School, and Basil Iorgulescu became its headmaster. It functioned with around 50 students in two grades (junior and senior) each year until 1875.
In 1873, Costache Ciochinescu, an 1848 revolutionary
from Buzău
, donated his personal library made up of 557 books, 4 paintings and a map of Romania to the Vladimirescu secondary school.
In 1879, the school was close to being closed, as the minister of education wanted to open a crafts school in Buzău. The municipality decided to close the secondary school, but, due to teachers' opposition, the school was maintained. Finally, in 1884, the government decided to take over the school's funding, relieving the local municipality. In the same year, trade sciences were removed from the curricula, where they had been kept by the local council. This change occurred in order to harmonize the curricula with other state-funded schools.
A new building was constructed between 1889 and 1890, on a piece of land formerly belonging to the Banului monastery.
Also in 1890, the Ministry of Education suggested the school's patron be changed, and headmaster Basil Iorgulescu proposed that the school be named after Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
. However, Hasdeu refused the honor, and suggested that the school be named after his father instead. Thus, the Tudor Vladimirescu was renamed "The Alexandru Hâjdeu Secondary School". By 1891, the number of students studying there was over 200.
Basil Iorgulescu resigned as headmaster in 1901, due to poor health, and died three years later.
During World War I
, the high school was closed and the building was used by the army as a military hospital. As Buzău was occupied by German
forces, the Romanian Army evacuated the city on 26 November 1916. Five days later, the German Army reached Buzău and also decided to use Hasdeu as a hospital, as well as stable
for horses. On 11 February 1918, before the end of the German occupation, the Hasdeu reopened in a different building, provided by the mayor and shared with the Theological Seminar and the Şcoala Normală. Eventually, on 1 November 1918, as the war was almost over, the German Army allowed the school to use its own building for classes. The war damaged the buildings heavily, and many valuable items, as well as 20% of the books in the library were lost at the time. Headmaster Nazarie assessed the losses to 1.8 million lei
.
By 1923, the school had over 1000 students registered and the classes were organized in two shifts. Additional land was purchased in order to build a dorm.
Although the high-school had to downsize during the Great Depression
, in 1932, the school changed its patron to Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
, as it had initially been the school's request. At the ceremony, a bust
of Hasdeu, sculpted by Oscar Han
was unveiled in front of the main building.
During World War II
classes continued, but the dorm was requisition
ed by the Romanian army. After the war, the school became 100% state-funded, as tuition
was forbidden by the communist government
. In 1953, the school was renamed Middle school no. 1, Buzău, losing the right to hold the name of its patron, Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
, until 1958. Also, primary and secondary school classes were organized along with the high school ones.
In 1965, it was renamed B.P. Hasdeu high-school, and the primary school classes were liquidated. However, secondary school classes were kept.
The Hasdeu received the title of National College (title given to the best Romanian high-schools) in 1996.
Buzau
The city of Buzău is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Wallachia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carpathian Mountains and the lowlands of Bărăgan Plain.The city's name dates back to 376 AD when the name...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. It was named after the Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n scholar and historian Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu was a Romanian writer and philologist, who pioneered many branches of Romanian philology and history. Hasdeu is considered to have been able to understand 26 languages .-Life:...
. Founded in 1867, it is the oldest state-funded high-school in Buzău.
The opening and the first year (1867-1868)
The law of public instruction, issued in November 1864, during the reign of Alexander John CuzaAlexander John Cuza
Alexander John Cuza was a Moldavian-born Romanian politician who ruled as the first Domnitor of the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia between 1859 and 1866.-Early life:...
in Romania, ruled that in the country's major cities state-funded secular high and secondary schools were to be open. In 1865, the government organized schools in several cities, leaving out Buzău, however. This decision was motivated by a lack of funds, and by the fact that in Buzău there was already a secondary school functioning, the Theological Seminar. That school was not, however, secular, and the citizen's pressure persuaded the mayor to open a secondary school in 1867.
The school was funded by the municipality. It functioned on the premises of the city primary school and its first headmaster was Luca Pavlovici Călăceanu. Upon the headmaster's request for a curriculum, the Ministry of Public Instruction sent him the curriculum taught at the Saint Sava National College
Saint Sava National College
The Saint Sava National College is the oldest and one of the most prestigious high schools in Bucharest, Romania....
in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
. The new public secondary school was attended by 11 students, all in the junior grade.
Trade school (1868-1869)
As the school was once again denied ministry funding in the early spring of 1868, the second year of the school's existence was also financed by the municipality. The new school year was open in September with 14 new students, all in the junior grade. By November, as the teachers were not receiving wages, conflicts arose between them and the mayor. Therefore, the municipality decided to teach a trade-school curricula. As the curricula had a high degree of difficulty, several students dropped out.Sciences school (1869-1870)
The trade school project failed and the mayor decided to reorganize the school again in 1869. A curricula was requested from the ministry again in order to help recruiting teachers, and a science-school curricula, for two grades, similar to the one that was to be taught in the science school from AlexandriaAlexandria, Romania
Alexandria is the capital city of the Teleorman County, Romania. It is located south-west of Bucharest, towards the Bulgarian border. The city is situated on the Vedea River. The city has 58,651 inhabitants.-Alexandria in 1900:...
was received. The city decided, however, to teach the same secondary school curricula. During this year, the school had three teachers and no headmaster, being managed directly by the mayor.
The school was in a poor state by 1870, so the education inspector from Ploieşti
Ploiesti
Ploiești is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located north of Bucharest....
, Ioan Eliade, recommended that the school be appointed a provisional headmaster and that a final decision be made on the type of school and the curricula that should be taught.
The "Tudor Vladimirescu" Secondary School (1870-1894)
In 1870, Nae Stănescu, the mayor of Buzău, decided that the school should be a classic secondary school, with a corresponding curricula, and asked that Basil Iorgulescu and Ioan Răşcan, the two main teachers at the school be granted tenureTenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
, without further examination. The school was named The Tudor Vladimirescu
Tudor Vladimirescu
Tudor Vladimirescu was a Wallachian Romanian revolutionary hero, the leader of the Wallachian uprising of 1821 and of the Pandur militia. He is also known as Tudor din Vladimiri or — occasionally — as Domnul Tudor .-Background:Tudor was born in Vladimiri, Gorj County in a family of landed peasants...
Secondary School, and Basil Iorgulescu became its headmaster. It functioned with around 50 students in two grades (junior and senior) each year until 1875.
In 1873, Costache Ciochinescu, an 1848 revolutionary
Wallachian Revolution of 1848
The Wallachian Revolution of 1848 was a Romanian liberal and Romantic nationalist uprising in the Principality of Wallachia. Part of the Revolutions of 1848, and closely connected with the unsuccessful revolt in the Principality of Moldavia, it sought to overturn the administration imposed by...
from Buzău
Buzau
The city of Buzău is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Wallachia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carpathian Mountains and the lowlands of Bărăgan Plain.The city's name dates back to 376 AD when the name...
, donated his personal library made up of 557 books, 4 paintings and a map of Romania to the Vladimirescu secondary school.
In 1879, the school was close to being closed, as the minister of education wanted to open a crafts school in Buzău. The municipality decided to close the secondary school, but, due to teachers' opposition, the school was maintained. Finally, in 1884, the government decided to take over the school's funding, relieving the local municipality. In the same year, trade sciences were removed from the curricula, where they had been kept by the local council. This change occurred in order to harmonize the curricula with other state-funded schools.
A new building was constructed between 1889 and 1890, on a piece of land formerly belonging to the Banului monastery.
Also in 1890, the Ministry of Education suggested the school's patron be changed, and headmaster Basil Iorgulescu proposed that the school be named after Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu was a Romanian writer and philologist, who pioneered many branches of Romanian philology and history. Hasdeu is considered to have been able to understand 26 languages .-Life:...
. However, Hasdeu refused the honor, and suggested that the school be named after his father instead. Thus, the Tudor Vladimirescu was renamed "The Alexandru Hâjdeu Secondary School". By 1891, the number of students studying there was over 200.
High school (1894-present)
In 1893, the Ministry issued an order to approve the opening of the first high-school class at the Al. Hâjdeu school, which happened in 1894. The first high-school class graduated in 1897.Basil Iorgulescu resigned as headmaster in 1901, due to poor health, and died three years later.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the high school was closed and the building was used by the army as a military hospital. As Buzău was occupied by German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
forces, the Romanian Army evacuated the city on 26 November 1916. Five days later, the German Army reached Buzău and also decided to use Hasdeu as a hospital, as well as stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
for horses. On 11 February 1918, before the end of the German occupation, the Hasdeu reopened in a different building, provided by the mayor and shared with the Theological Seminar and the Şcoala Normală. Eventually, on 1 November 1918, as the war was almost over, the German Army allowed the school to use its own building for classes. The war damaged the buildings heavily, and many valuable items, as well as 20% of the books in the library were lost at the time. Headmaster Nazarie assessed the losses to 1.8 million lei
Romanian leu
The leu is the currency of Romania. It is subdivided into 100 bani . The name of the currency means "lion". On 1 July 2005, Romania underwent a currency reform, switching from the previous leu to a new leu . 1 RON is equal to 10,000 ROL...
.
By 1923, the school had over 1000 students registered and the classes were organized in two shifts. Additional land was purchased in order to build a dorm.
Although the high-school had to downsize during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, in 1932, the school changed its patron to Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu was a Romanian writer and philologist, who pioneered many branches of Romanian philology and history. Hasdeu is considered to have been able to understand 26 languages .-Life:...
, as it had initially been the school's request. At the ceremony, a bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
of Hasdeu, sculpted by Oscar Han
Oscar Han
Oscar Han was a Romanian sculptor and writer. A student of Dimitrie Paciurea at the Academy of Arts in Bucharest, he was a member of the Group of Four together with painters Nicolae Tonitza, Francisc Şirato and Ştefan Dimitrescu...
was unveiled in front of the main building.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
classes continued, but the dorm was requisition
Requisition
A requisition is a request for something, especially a formal written request on a pre-printed form.An online requisition is an electronic document, which can be originated by the requester and then using the company workflow or hierarchy rules, can be submitted to the subsequent levels, until it...
ed by the Romanian army. After the war, the school became 100% state-funded, as tuition
Tuition
Tuition payments, known primarily as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in British English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Indian English, refers to a fee charged for educational instruction during higher education.Tuition payments are charged by...
was forbidden by the communist government
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
. In 1953, the school was renamed Middle school no. 1, Buzău, losing the right to hold the name of its patron, Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu was a Romanian writer and philologist, who pioneered many branches of Romanian philology and history. Hasdeu is considered to have been able to understand 26 languages .-Life:...
, until 1958. Also, primary and secondary school classes were organized along with the high school ones.
In 1965, it was renamed B.P. Hasdeu high-school, and the primary school classes were liquidated. However, secondary school classes were kept.
The Hasdeu received the title of National College (title given to the best Romanian high-schools) in 1996.
Notable alumni
- Nicolae LeonardNicolae LeonardNicolae Leonard was a Romanian opera tenor, nicknamed "Prince of the operetta".-References:...
- George Emil PaladeGeorge Emil PaladeGeorge Emil Palade was a Romanian cell biologist. Described as "the most influential cell biologist ever", in 1974 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, together with Albert Claude and Christian de Duve. The prize was granted for his innovations in electron microscopy and...
- Cătălin PredoiuCatalin PredoiuCătălin Marian Predoiu , is a Romanian lawyer. He has been the Minister of Justice of Romania since 29 February 2008....
- Elena UdreaElena UdreaElena Gabriela Udrea is a Romanian politician. A member of the Democratic Liberal Party , she has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Bucharest since 2008...