Prva gimnazija Sarajevo

File:Sarajevo First-Gymnasium.jpg

Prva gimnazija was founded on 6 November 1879 by decree of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I, as the first state-run interconfessional secondary school in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The inaugural class enrolled 42 male students. Initially, the school operated in temporary locations due to a fire that destroyed its intended building. {{cite news|url=https://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/prva-gimnazija-otvara-svoja-vrata-gostima-na-138-rodjendan/170404096|title=Prva gimnazija otvara svoja vrata gostima na 138. rođendan|website=klix.ba|date=4 April 2017|accessdate=15 April 2025|language=Bosnian}} In 1891, it moved into a purpose-built facility at its current location on Gimnazijska Street, designed in the Neo-Renaissance style by architects Karlo Paržik and August Butsch.{{cite news|url=https://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/prva-gimnazija-otvara-svoja-vrata-gostima-na-138-rodjendan/170404096|title=Prva gimnazija otvara svoja vrata gostima na 138. rođendan|website=klix.ba|date=4 April 2017|accessdate=15 April 2025|language=Bosnian}}

The chosen site was located adjacent to the former Officers’ Casino, which today houses the Armed Forces Hall of Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the beginning of the 1891/1892 academic year, the gymnasium officially moved into the new premises, where it remains to this day. At the time, the school enrolled as many as 267 students.{{cite news|url=https://radiosarajevo.ba/metromahala/teme/prva-gimnazija-obiljezava-140-godina-od-osnivanja/323239|title=Prva gimnazija ove godine obilježava 140 godina od osnivanja|website=radiosarajevo.ba|date=4 April 2019|accessdate=15 April 2025|language=Bosnian}}

Soon after, within only a few years, two additional schools were established in the immediate vicinity—one on the right and one on the left side of the original building—forming an educational complex.{{cite news|url=https://raport.ba/graciozna-stara-dama-od-franje-josipa-do-danasnjeg-dana-suvereno-vlada-tronom-ovo-je-prica-o-prvoj-gimnaziji/|title=Graciozna Stara dama od Franje Josipa do današnjeg dana suvereno vlada tronom. Ovo je priča o Prvoj gimnaziji|website=raport.ba|date=11 February 2024|accessdate=15 April 2025|language=Bosnian}} The shared courtyard was organized into a playground, now known as Metalac, which would go on to play a notable role in Sarajevo’s sporting history.{{cite news|url=https://raport.ba/graciozna-stara-dama-od-franje-josipa-do-danasnjeg-dana-suvereno-vlada-tronom-ovo-je-prica-o-prvoj-gimnaziji/|title=Graciozna Stara dama od Franje Josipa do današnjeg dana suvereno vlada tronom. Ovo je priča o Prvoj gimnaziji|website=raport.ba|date=11 February 2024|accessdate=15 April 2025|language=Bosnian}}

In subsequent years, yhe school underwent several name changes: from “Imperial and Royal Real Gymnasium” to “Classical Gymnasium” in 1883, then to “Great Gymnasium,” and finally to “First Gymnasium” in 1922.{{cite news|url=https://raport.ba/graciozna-stara-dama-od-franje-josipa-do-danasnjeg-dana-suvereno-vlada-tronom-ovo-je-prica-o-prvoj-gimnaziji/|title=Graciozna Stara dama od Franje Josipa do današnjeg dana suvereno vlada tronom. Ovo je priča o Prvoj gimnaziji|website=raport.ba|date=11 February 2024|accessdate=15 April 2025|language=Bosnian}} Originally a male-only institution, it began admitting female students in 1919.

During World War II, the school was closed due to a typhus outbreak and later repurposed as a military hospital. It resumed educational activities after the war. Throughout the Siege of Sarajevo (1992–1995), despite significant damage to the building, the school continued to operate, adapting to wartime conditions.{{cite web|url=https://prva-gimnazija.edu.ba/historijat-skole/|title=Historijat škole – Prva gimnazija Sarajevo|website=prva-gimnazija.edu.ba|accessdate=15 April 2025|language=Bosnian}}

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The school’s building, completed in 1891, is a notable example of Austro-Hungarian Neo-Renaissance architecture.{{cite news|url=https://radiosarajevo.ba/metromahala/teme/prva-gimnazija-obiljezava-140-godina-od-osnivanja/323239|title=Prva gimnazija ove godine obilježava 140 godina od osnivanja|website=radiosarajevo.ba|date=4 April 2019|accessdate=15 April 2025|language=Bosnian}} It features spacious classrooms, administrative offices, sports halls, a cafeteria, a library, a cinema hall, and a museum. In 2011, the building was designated a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.{{cite news|url=https://radiosarajevo.ba/vijesti/lokalne-teme/prva-gimanzija-skola-u-kojoj-su-se-obrazovali-bh-velikani-obiljezila-140-godina-postojanja/332867|title=Prva gimnazija: Škola naših nobelovaca obilježila 140 godina postojanja|website=radiosarajevo.ba|date=9 April 2019|accessdate=15 April 2025|language=Bosnian}}

In 1989, to commemorate its 110th anniversary, Prva gimnazija established a school museum in collaboration with the Museum of Literature and Theater Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.{{cite news|url=https://tntportal.ba/muzej-sarajevske-prve-gimnazije-otvorio-svoja-vrata-povodom-medunarodnog-dana-muzeja/|title=Muzej sarajevske Prve gimnazije otvorio svoja vrata povodom Međunarodnog dana muzeja|website=tntportal.ba|date=18 May 2024|accessdate=15 April 2025|language=Bosnian}} The museum showcases the history of education in the country and survived the wartime period with its collection intact. Post-war restoration efforts were supported by the City of Sarajevo and other contributors.{{cite news|url=https://tntportal.ba/muzej-sarajevske-prve-gimnazije-otvorio-svoja-vrata-povodom-medunarodnog-dana-muzeja/|title=Muzej sarajevske Prve gimnazije otvorio svoja vrata povodom Međunarodnog dana muzeja|website=tntportal.ba|date=18 May 2024|accessdate=15 April 2025|language=Bosnian}}

File:Godišnje izvješće realne gimnasije u Sarajevu 1881-82.png

Prva gimnazija has received numerous accolades throughout its history, including:{{cite web|url=https://prva-gimnazija.edu.ba/nagrade-i-priznanja/|title=Nagrade i priznanja – Prva gimnazija Sarajevo|website=prva-gimnazija.edu.ba|accessdate=15 April 2025|language=Bosnian}}

• A medal at the 1883 school exhibition in Trieste.
• Awards at exhibitions in Budapest (1896) and Vienna (1899).
• The Sarajevo City Plaque (1965).
• The Order of Merit for the People with a Golden Star, awarded by Josip Broz Tito (1970).
• The Sixth of April Award of Sarajevo (1977).
• The “Educators of the Year 2006” award from the International League of Humanists.
• The “Freedom Award” from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (2009).
• Recognition as “Pedagogical Collective of the Year” by the Federal Ministry of Education and Science (2006).
• The “Silver Snowflake” award for creative contributions to the Sarajevo Winter Festival (2017).
• The Sarajevo Canton Plaque (2019).

• Ivo Andrić (1892–1975) – Nobel Prize-winning author.
• Vladimir Prelog (1906–1998) – Nobel Prize-winning chemist.
• Safvet-beg Bašagić (1870–1934) - Writer, historian, and one of the founders of the Bosnian Renaissance.
• Isak Samokovlija (1889–1955) - Bosnian Jewish writer and physician.
• Petar Kočić (1877–1916) - Bosnian Serb writer, poet, and politician.
• Tugomir Alaupović (1870–1958) - Yugoslav educator, poet, and politician.
• Gavrilo Princip (1894-1918) - Assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
• Vojo Dimitrijević (1910–1980) - Painter and art educator.
• Slobodan Princip (1914-1942) - Yugoslav Partisan who was posthumously awarded the Order of the People's Hero.
• Tarik Haverić (born 1955) - Philosopher, political scientist, translator, and public intellectual.
• Daniel Ozmo (1912–1942) - Bosnian Jewish painter and printmaker.
• Karim Zaimović (1971–1995) - Bosnian journalist, writer, and editor known for his cultural critiques and literary works.
• Ahmed Muradbegović (1898–1972) - Playwright and theatre director
• Haris Pašović (born 1962) - Theatre director
• Aida Begić (born 1976) - Filmmaker
• Saša Lošić (born 1964) - Frontman of the highly popular pop rock band Plavi Orkestar.

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://prva-gimnazija.edu.ba}}

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Category:Buildings and structures in Sarajevo

Category:Education in Sarajevo

Category:Tourist attractions in Sarajevo