Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Gymnasium () is a secondary school in Novi Sad, Serbia. It is named after Jovan Jovanović Zmaj, a Serb poet. It was founded in 1810 by a donation of a wealthy merchant from Novi Sad. Over the years the school developed into a prestigious institution whose alumni include numerous notable historical individuals.
The school was rebuilt in the 20th century, using the donations of baron Miloš Bajić who gave 20,000 forints.
Names The school had several names throughout its history. Since 27 January 1810: Serbian Grand Orthodox Gymnasium of Novi Sad (). Since 27 August 1920: State Men's Gymnasium (). Since 3 October 1931: State Men's Real Gymnasium of King Alexander I (). Since 13 April 1941: Hungarian Royal State Gymnasium with Serbian language courses (). Since 28 February 1945: Creation of the Women's Real Gymnasium (), Men's Real Gymnasium () and Mixed Real Gymnasium (). Mixed Gymnasium moved into the current gymnasium building on the 30 June 1945. The "Real" status was removed from these gymnasiums in 1948. Since the school year of 1950/1951: The Women's Gymnasium () and Men's Gymnasium () moved into the current gymnasium building, merging into the First Mixed Gymnasium (). Then Mixed Gymnasium was renamed into the Second Mixed Gymnasium (). Since 1952: First Mixed Gymnasium is renamed into Svetozar Marković Secondary Mixed Gymnasium (), while the Second Mixed Gymnasium is renamed into Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Secondary Mixed Gymnasium (). Since the school year of 1959/1960: Both mixed schools merge into one, named Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Gymnasium. Since the school year of 1977/1978: The Center for the education of staff in social activities () began operating, in the spirit of educational reforms from the 10th Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. Since the school year of 1983/1984: The school returned to 4 years of education (two classes of common secondary education and two classes of vocational-oriented secondary education) and is renamed into Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Secondary Science-Mathematics School (). Since 1985: The school celebrates 175 years of educational work and is renamed into Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Secondary Science-Mathematics Gymnasium (). Since the school year of 1990/1991: The school is renamed back to Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Gymnasium.
History 19th century Founding of the school
The story of secondary education in Novi Sad started in 1731. At the same spot where the modern building of the school stands, the bishop of Bačka Visaion Pavlović founded a school whose name was "Latino-Slavic Nativity of the Mother of God School". Bishop Pavlović and the council of the Serbian Orthodox Church were aware of the fact that only a good education in Latin can provide better future for Serbian people in Habsburg Monarchy. Among the best-known students of this school there were Joakim Vujić and Lukijan Mušicki, and the best-known teacher was Zaharije Orfelin. This school continued its work till 1789 when the Serbs from Novi Sad led by promises and reforms of Emperor Joseph II abolished this educational institution in order to make a gymnasium for all religions in Novi Sad. For this purpose they gave the building and the whole inventory of the school. A fast crash of Joseph's reforms, showed all the haste and imprudence of this gesture, since instead of the state gymnasium for all religions in the orthodox part of Novi Sad, a Roman Catholic school was founded.
Because of that Metropolitan Bishop of Karlovci Stefan Stratimirović, Bishop of Bačka Gedeon Petrović and the council of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Novi Sad had a great wish to reopen Serbian Grand Orthodox Gymnasium beside the Roman Catholic one. Lack of higher education institutions forced Serbian youth in Habsburg Monarchy to continue their education in Roman Catholic or Protestant schools which had in itself a fear of distancing them from Serbian religion and nation. By that time, Novi Sad became the economical and cultural center of the Serbs in the Habsburg Monarchy, warranting the creation of separate school for the Serbs.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, a prominent merchant from Novi Sad, Sava Vuković of Beregsova, wanted to leave a permanent legacy through his philanthropic work. On Saint Sava's Day 1810, blind and seriously ill, Vuković donated 20 000 forints for foundation of a Serbian gymnasium in Novi Sad.
In the inaugural letter of Sava Vuković, three basic tasks which the school should fulfill were stated: general education and upbringing in national spirit through the Eastern Orthodox religion and national language. A great number of people from Novi Sad joined this noble act encouraged by Bishop of Bačka Gedeon Petrović and Metropolitan Bishop of Karlovci Stefan Stratimirović, and in this way more than 100,000 forints were collected which was enough for the foundation of school. Habsburg Emperor Francis II gave his consent for the foundation of the school on 11 December 1811. However, not everything was finished with this emperor's agreement, only on 31 January 1816 the foundation act was confirmed and the conditions for opening the first and second grade, and in November the third grade of the gymnasium were made.
Based on the emperor's decision and in accordance with the Foundation Act, Patronage and Board of Trustees were formed as the primary administrative bodies of the school, and they managed the school until 1920. According to the Foundation Act the school was a property of Serbian Orthodox Church in Novi Sad, and the Patronage administrated the school instead of it. At the head of the Patronage there were Metropolitan Bishop of Karlovci and Bishop of Novi Sad; two members were from Backa consistorium, and four from Orthodox Church Council in Novi Sad. The Patronage made decisions about the curriculum and the books which were used. It also chose principals and teachers, and regulated their salaries and awards. In act 7 of the Foundation Act the Board of Trustees was formed and its task was to invest the capital of the school and secures its continuous finances. The Board had six members, mainly rich merchants, craftsmen and lawyers.
The flag of the school was established in 1816. On one side is Lord Jesus Christ, and on the other Saint Sava. This flag has been preserved to this today, adorning the entrance to the school.
With the arrival of the teachers Georgije Magarašević, Mojsije Petrović, Ignjat Jovanović and Pavel Jozef Šafarik the number of the classes was increased to six, and at the beginning of October 1819 the Serbian Orthodox Great Gymnasium School in Novi Sad became a comprehensive gymnasium.
First school building
The first school building was at the corner of modern day Nikole Pašića and Zlatne grede streets, at the spot of today's Platoneum building next to the Orthodox Cathedral Church of Saint George. It was built by the council of Serbian Orthodox Church in 1788 for the needs of Latino-Slavic Nativity of the Mother of God School.
The first principals of the gymnasium were a priest Danilo Petrović and the mayor Grigorije Janković. With the increased number of students and classes the Patronage took steps to insure the emperor's accreditation for the school. This meant that all graduated students of the school had the right to enroll any academy, lycee and university in Habsburg Monarchy without taking entrance or differential examinations. This accreditation was given to the school by Francis II on 26 October 1818.
The curriculum was made in accordance with the state regulation "Ratio educationis" which was applied to all state schools in Hungary. The gymnasium had six classes until 1848, and all the subjects were taught in German, apart from religious lessons which were taught in Serbian. The following subjects were taught in the gymnasium: the basis of Latin and German, Geography, Anthropology and Arithmetic, Latin with syntax, Religious Lessons, Nature Studies and Anthropology, World's History, Archaeology, Physics, Logics, Rhetoric, Poetry and Ethics.
The school flourished when a literary historian and scientist Pavel Jozef Šafarik came to its head. In the period of 1816 to 1848 the school had seven principals, and the classes were taught by twenty-seven teachers. The best known among them were Milovan Vidaković, Pavel Jozef Šafarik, Georgije Magarasević i Jovan Hadžić.
Collecting books in order to make a school library started on Šafarik's great insistence in 1819. Ceremonial opening of the library was in 1822 and until 1849 it had about 1600 books.
Because of the importance of religious lessons, classes of church singing were held from the very beginning of the school. The first choir was founded in 1828. A first school of music was opened in the Serbian Grand Orthodox Gymnasium in 1841 and it was led by a conductor, composer and singer Aleksandar Morfidids-Nisis.
It is thought that in period between 1816 and 1848 more than 3 300 students attended the school which had enormous impact on intelligence and national rebirth of Serbs.
Second school building
The gymnasium continued its work up to the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. On June 12, 1849 Novi Sad was bombed from the Petrovaradin fortress. 2004 of 2812 buildings in the town were burnt down. Among them there was the gymnasium building. Beside the building all the didactical equipment and valuable collection for nature study were destroyed. The attempt to save the library was not successful because the books were moved to Almaš Orthodox Church (Church of the Tree Holy Hierarchs) which was also burnt down.
The revolution caused the school to pause its function until October 1852. Greatly impoverished the council of the Serbian Orthodox Church collected enough money to reopen the school. It was reopened as an incomplete four-class gymnasium which was not accredited. The curriculum at that time included the following subjects: History with Geography, Religious Lessons, Latin, Greek, German, Serbian and Arithmacy. The administration of four-class gymnasium was a great load for the Patronage and the council of the Orthodox Church in Novi Sad. The help unexpectedly came from Vienna from the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria personally. It came to Novi Sad on 27 September 1860 and included an offer to finance the school from the state funds and enable it to become a complete eight-class school, but on condition that it preserved its religious and national character. The offer was gladly accepted, but five years had passed before Hungarian regency council informed the Patronage that it was ordered by emperor's resolution to raise the school in Novi Sad to the level of a great gymnasium with eight classes. Emperor Franz Joseph I accredited the school with the same resolution.