A local regionalist and history enthusiast from Kruszyn dr Grzegorz Przystarz has compiled the history of the educational institution in Kruszyn based on Eduard Dewitz’s work (Geschichte des Kreises Bunzlau, 1885) and supplementary regional literature. The present Primary School in Kruszyn at 1 Kasztanowa Street is the direct successor to the institution described by Dewitz.

School in a Cottage

The beginnings of the school in Kruszyn (Gross Krauschen) were extremely modest. Before 1776, residents had not designated an official building for this purpose. Dewitz states that the first teacher was a local cottager named Plischle. According to accounts from the period, he was not a qualified teacher.

Plischle received his pupils in his own cottage. He taught children to read, write and count. The children learned to read using Bible texts. This was supplemented by basic arithmetic lessons.

The Baron’s Gesture: A Palace School

A major change took place in 1776. George Ernst von Heuthaufen, a baron and owner of the surrounding estates, became so concerned about the education of his subjects that he bought Plischle’s house, together with its garden, and officially handed it over to the municipality for school purposes. It was then that Kruszyn employed its first qualified teacher, a man named Breitmann.

Despite this, and surprisingly so, for 60 years (until 1836) lessons were held not in the cottage purchased for this purpose, but in the palace—in one of its rooms adapted for the purpose. The landowner had ambitions not only for his own children, but also took care of the education of his subjects.

A Regional Education Centre

Over the years, the school in Gross Krauschen grew in importance. In the 19th century, it became a central point for the entire surrounding area. Dewitz notes that children from four neighbouring localities attended it at the time: Klein Krauschen (Kruszynek), Schwiebendorf (Świeborowice), Looswitz (Łaziska), and Tomaszów Bolesławiecki (the lower part). Today, as Grzegorz Przystarz adds, these localities largely form a single entity with Kruszyn. The school focused on providing basic education to rural children. The most important thing was for them to learn to read, write and count, and to become familiar with the principles of religion.

The Golden Age of the School in Kruszyn

The 19th century up to 1945 went down in the school’s history as a time of prosperity. In 1836, the school left the palace and returned to a modernised municipal building, located at today’s 1 Kasztanowa Street.

Dewitz mentions the distinguished educators who taught at the school, writing, among other things, about Mr Körner, who worked as a fully independent teacher from 1877. At the beginning of the 20th century, directors Weich and Albert Reich maintained the institution and its high standards.

The level of the folk school in Gross Krauschen was undoubtedly influenced by the direct presence of the distinguished Moravian Brethren educational institution located in Gnadenberg (the central part of today’s Kruszyn). This refers to the elite school for girls (Zinzendorfschule). The two schools complemented each other. Skilled craftsmen educated in Gnadenberg often became mentors to the more talented pupils of the folk school, raising the general level of civilisation throughout Kruszyn.

The data provided by Dewitz from the mid-1880s indicate that the folk school in Kruszyn was an exceptional place for local residents. Around 120–160 children attended the school regularly. It was a multi-class evangelical school, where the teacher often also served as the organist (cantor) in the local parish.

The History of the School After World War II

(text prepared on the basis of information from Sebastian Zielonka)

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 conducted according to the principles of universality, free access, public provision and uniformity. The school was intended to have the same standards in the countryside as in the city.

The first head of the school was Franciszek Marczyński; 41 pupils began their education in September 1947.

In 1952, the school acquired books and established a library. On 1 June 1979, on the occasion of International Children’s Day, the pupils received the School Banner.

Numerous organisations operated at the Primary School in Kruszyn, including the School Friends of the USSR Circle, the School Warsaw Reconstruction Circle, the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association, the League for Nature Conservation, the Children’s Friends Society and the Bajka Theatre. The institution itself was also known for numerous campaigns:

  • reading and writing courses for adult residents of the settlement in the first post-war years
  • the “Posesja” campaign, which involved tidying up residents’ most neglected courtyards
  • the “Wiewiórka” campaign, which involved collecting food and building feeders for animals
  • the “Woreczek” campaign, aimed at familiarising pupils with the principles of hygiene.