Exciting exchange in Bratislava on Tuesday, April 5: YPAS and the Evangelic Lutheran Lyceum

On Tuesday, April 5, there is a special event on the itinerary for the YPAS travelers: an exchange and recital with the Evangelic Lutheran Lyceum (Evanjelické lyceum) in Bratislava, Slovakia. The school was instituted in 1606 shortly after the establishment of the first Lutheran congregation in Bratislava. It was modeled on the German secondary school and flourished until 1672, when Hapsburg Emperor Leopold authorized the takeover of the school by the Jesuits as part of the Counter-Reformation. The school reopened again in 1681 and grew in prominence as well as enrollment into the early 20th century. In 1923 the school was taken over by the new national government of Czechoslovakia and transformed into the State German Secondary School. In 1944, even this form of the school was abolished and the school remained closed until September 1991, when it was re-established by the Slovak Lutheran Church in cooperation with the national Office of Education. Speakers at the opening service on 2 September, 1991 included General Bishop Uhorskai of the Slovak Lutheran Church as well as Alexander Dubchek, President of the Czechoslovak National Assembly. Today’s Evangelical Lyceum consists of two units with a total enrollment of around 840 students. For more information (in Slovak) and pictures, please see the official website of the Evangelic Lutheran Lyceum.