Prague – Petrovice: In 1989, the largest school in Bohemia was established here
while beginnings of education in this smallest part of Prague’s districts are still reaching until 1805. At that time, there was no school in Petrovice, not a big village, so “Petrovic children came to Čestlice, “Writes Petr Říha in the book Petrovice: 770 years – history, present and future of the City District of Prague – Petrovice. Between Petrovice and Čestlice, which lies just outside the Prague region, it is roughly as the crow flies four kilometers away.
Teaching at the bell tower
This practice took place for most of the 19th century, before the village decided to establish a so-called corner school. By this term was meant the schools that were all the letters behind minor, they provided just that the most necessary education, and worked in absolutely modest conditions. “It was taught even on the church grounds – on the bell tower”Says Říha.
Teachers were poorly paid at the time, and their education didn’t have to be discussed either. As the minutes from the Petrovice Chronicle show, a certain Josef Frič, who held the teacher’s contribution, he was said to be barely a few years older than the children entrusted to him. “It often happened that this teacher got into a fight with his students“Říha quotes the chronicle.
First school
It was not until 1883 that the construction of the oldest school in Petrov began. “The place for her was chosen at the U křížku crossroads at the intersection of the Měcholupská and Uhříněveská roads, today the intersection of Edisonova and Bellova streets,” says Říha. In the same year, the school was put into operation and its building, as one of the two primary schools in Prague Petrovice, is still in operation today.
Large housing estate
In the 20th century, not only Petrovice, but the whole area of the South Town passed rapid changes. Their current character was influenced in 1968 connection to the capital. From a small village with a population of just over half a thousand, it suddenly became part of the big city. The planning of future development also corresponded to this.
Just as the peripheral parts of Prague were transformed into the current housing estate such as the South Town or the Northern Town (Prosek, Ďáblice, Bohnice), a panel housing estate was also planned in Petrovice.. Currently, more than 6,000 people live here, thanks to the panel housing estatewhich is practically in sight of similar panel “walls” of the South City.
The sudden influx of new inhabitants, who also moved to the parallel housing estate in Horní Měcholupy, of course raised the question – what will happen to their children? While “in the school year 1957/1958, 146 children were enrolled in the school“As Říha points out, at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, a total of six times were expected.
The largest and most modern school
The reaction to the construction of the panel housing estate was, of course, the construction of a new school in the newer Doppler Street, which bears the name of a well-known physicist – the author of the so-called Doppler effect. It was opened on the day when the old order changed for the new one – symbolically exactly on November 17, 1989.
The building of the Petrovice Elementary School in Dopplerova Street was built in 1989. Its opening was overshadowed by the events of the Velvet Revolution. At the time of construction, it was supposed to be a larger school in the Czech Republic.
Author: David Malík
“It was about the largest and most modern school in the republic”Says Říha, adding that just due to the Velvet Revolution, “it opened inconspicuously and was pushed out of the news by. “At the same time, it was a giant project with a large area, which is located” ovocal orchard, greenhouse, all conceivable sports grounds“Říha calculates. Recently, the school premises have even expanded to include an insect hotel.
Currently, there are two primary schools in Petrovice, where children used to be educated in the bell tower. The aforementioned primary school in Prague Petrovice, which now includes the primary school in Dopplerova street, and one private primary school, which is located in the neighboring Bella street. What a rapid development that marks the city district. while only By 2020, more than 500 pupils were learning at Dopplerova Street Elementary School – According to Říha, the capacity should be enough with another 200 extra students.
Then a rarity, today a standard
Capacity dimensioned in this way, which was once enough to “the largest school in the republic“, It is slow today standard. A base for 700 pupils is to be established in Prague 9, U Elektry Street. A new primary school in Prague 7 should be established for 540 children, with the same number of children the town hall of Dolní Měcholupy would like to live in the planned new primary schoolwhile in the nearby Uhříněvsi to have a future elementary school capacity even 810 childrensimilarly as planned in Prague 12 in Komořany.
However, even this is still small in comparison with the current largest primary school in the Czech Republic. According to ČTK, it is located in Boskovice in the Blansko regionand was established in 2005 by merging three separate schools. It has a total of 1,380 children, which is to be educated by about 150 teachers.
The building of the Petrovice Elementary School in Dopplerova Street was built in 1989. Its opening was overshadowed by the events of the Velvet Revolution. At the time of construction, it was supposed to be a larger school in the Czech Republic.
Author: David Malík