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Address Chojnowska, 59-200 Legnica, Poland Similar Kupfermuseum Legnica, Zamek Piastowski w Legnicy, Nowy Ratusz, Park Miejski w Legnicy, Muzeum Bitwy Legnickie | ||
The Liegnitz Ritter-Akademie or knight academy was a school for the sons of the silesian aristocracy and landed gentry established in the seventeenth century in Liegnitz, Prussia. It existed until 1945 and then became a general high school after the occupation of Lower Silesia by Poland.
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History
The duke of Liegnitz, George Rudolf († 1653) of the Piast dynasty, died childless. He left in his 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 Piast, his territory was taken over by the Habsburgs as part of the Counter-reformation which forced Catholicism on 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 for boys of both denominations. The main building of the Ritter-Akademie was built in the years 1726 - 1738 in the baroque style to the design of the architect Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach. The pupils wore a blue uniform with yellow collar and yellow cuffs, with blue-yellow garrison cap, but no weapon.
In 1811 the academy was opened to non-aristocrats, and by 1901 it became a national school existing until 1945. 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.