The educational traditions of the present-day village of Kruszyn date back to the 19th century. The present-day Kruszyn consists of four settlements (Kruszyn, Kruszynek, Świeborowice and Godnów). Godnów has the most interesting educational history. The religious community of the Moravian Brethren, who lived in the present-day central part of Kruszyn, ran a school for boys up to the age of 10 who, after completing their education there, went to Bolesławiec to continue their studies.
The school was probably located in the vicinity of what is now Świętojańska and Lipowa Streets. The building housed a kindergarten; from an early age, the Moravian Brethren provided preschool education and learning for their fellow residents.
Before the war, Kruszyn had a school with a boarding house and a so-called secondary school for girls from nearby towns. Pre-war Godnów also had a commercial school and the famous Zacher Sisters’ boarding house. The boarding house had its own tennis court, which at the time reflected the school’s status.
At the beginning of the 20th century, as we may conclude from surviving sources, a school was established in Kruszyn in the present-day school building. Surviving archival materials tell us that the last headmaster was Albert Reich, who also taught grades III and IV. Joanna Kiel supported the headmaster’s educational work until 1945 as a teacher in the lower grades.
In 1947, the first educational institution was established in Kruszyn, in the pre-war school building. The reconstruction of the education system in the post-war years was carried out according to the principles of universality, free access, public provision and uniformity. Standards at the school were to be the same in the countryside as in the city.
The most interesting information about the school’s activities:
- Franciszek Marczyński was the school’s first headmaster; 41 pupils began their education in September 1947. In 1952, the school acquired books and established a library.
- On June 1, 1979, on the occasion of International Children’s Day, the pupils received the School Banner.
- Numerous organizations operated at the Primary School in Kruszyn, including the School Circle of Friends of the USSR, the School Circle for the Reconstruction of Warsaw, the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association, the League for Nature Conservation, the Friends of Children Society and the Bajka Theatre.
- The institution was renowned for numerous initiatives:
- reading and writing courses for adult residents of the settlement in the first post-war years
- the “Posesja” campaign, which involved tidying the most neglected residents’ courtyards
- the “Wiewiórka” campaign, which involved collecting food and building feeders for animals
- the “Woreczek” campaign, intended to familiarize pupils with the principles of hygiene.
The school in Kruszyn is a place of memories for many of its graduates, a memento of first loves and the hardships of acquiring an education.
Next Saturday, we will tell you about Bolesławiec Town Hall.
Sebastian Zielonka – a historian and graduate of the University of Wrocław. Specialization: archival studies and conservation documentation. He is interested in the history of the region and the social life of Europeans in the 20th century. In his free time, he travels.
(information: Sebastian Zielonka)