Klosterbergen
Encyclopedia
The Kloster Berge school or Berge monastery school was a gymnasium at the Kloster Berge (Berge Abbey or Berge Monastery) at Buckau on the outskirts of Magdeburg
, Germany
which was founded in the mid-16th century and during its heyday from 1660 to 1806 was known for the quality of its education.
in the 10th century and Herkus Monte
in the 13th are said to have been educated at the monastery.
However, the first clear mention of boys being schooled there dates to 1563, and the actual school was founded as part of the re-establishment of the monastery beginning in 1559, after the Schmalkaldic War
. During this period, in 1565, it also ceased to be a Benedictine
abbey and became Lutheran like the city of Magdeburg. The formal opening of the school was therefore in 1565, as a Lutheran foundation. The school opened with 12 pupils, all on scholarship. At the outset, the teacher was paid 20 Thaler
s, 2 shirts, a pair of shoes and a pair of slippers per year plus bed and board. Instruction appears to have been restricted to the medieval trivium
and quadrivium
, and took place in the cloister of the parsonage until one schoolmaster hanged himself there and it was moved to a specially built round tower.
In 1625 Magdeburg was stricken by plague, parents withdrew their children, and the school was closed. The monastery was sacked and destroyed during the Thirty Years' War
. The school was re-established in 1660 with 6 pupils and although an unsuccessful court case was brought against the abbot in 1665 for excessive disciplining of 3 unruly pupils, starting in 1686 it was enlarged and reorganised as a gymnasium, preparing pupils for university study with a curriculum of religion, mathematics, history, geography, rhetoric, logic, poetry, moral philosophy, ars humaniora and fine arts, and came to be regarded as one of Germany's best schools. It reached its height of fame in the mid-18th century, under Abbot Johann Adam Steinmetz. The school was particularly known for its instruction in ancient and modern languages. At that time the school had 40–50 new pupils a year and a total student body of over 150, and noble families from all over the Holy Roman Empire
and beyond sent their sons to be educated there. Goethe visited the monastery and praised the school and Steinmetz.
The monastery had become a centre of Pietism
; the school was closely associated with August Hermann Francke
's Franckesche Stiftungen in Halle
, and in 1735 an institute for the training of rural schoolteachers was founded. In 1750, after being denied official permission, Steinmetz with the assistance of some benefactors established a separate free school for 100 poor children of Magdeburg, in a house which he bought for the purpose.
Scientific research was also carried out at the monastery. In June 1761, Georg Christoph Silberschlag and Heinrich Wilhelm Bachmann detected the atmosphere of Venus
at the monastery observatory.
The school declined starting in 1762 when Steinmetz' chosen successor as abbot proved unsatisfactory; he was authoritarian, sought to relate all instruction explicitly to the New Testament
and reduced expenditure excessively, including cutting back on free places at the school, and teachers and pupils left. By Easter 1768 there were only 33 pupils. In contrast he spent freely on the teacher training institute. He was removed from leadership of the school by royal decree in 1770 and eventually also from his position as abbot. His successor introduced classes in technology and hired Johann Gottlieb Cunradi to teach the subject but was unable to restore the school's reputation.; in 1784/5 a newspaper report stated, "The school has a very thoughtful director and some very able teachers—if only it also had pupils!"
During the Napoleonic Wars
Magdeburg surrendered to the French, and in 1810 the Kingdom of Westphalia
ordered the school to be closed. It was shut down on March 30, after educating 2,200 pupils since 1686. The monastery library and scientific collections were donated to Halle University and the school library sold at auction.
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
which was founded in the mid-16th century and during its heyday from 1660 to 1806 was known for the quality of its education.
History
Both Thietmar of MerseburgThietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg was a German chronicler who was also bishop of Merseburg.-Life:...
in the 10th century and Herkus Monte
Herkus Monte
Herkus Monte was the most famous leader of the Great Prussian Uprising against the Teutonic Knights and Northern Crusaders...
in the 13th are said to have been educated at the monastery.
However, the first clear mention of boys being schooled there dates to 1563, and the actual school was founded as part of the re-establishment of the monastery beginning in 1559, after the Schmalkaldic War
Schmalkaldic War
The Schmalkaldic War refers to the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire, commanded by Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba, and the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman...
. During this period, in 1565, it also ceased to be a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
abbey and became Lutheran like the city of Magdeburg. The formal opening of the school was therefore in 1565, as a Lutheran foundation. The school opened with 12 pupils, all on scholarship. At the outset, the teacher was paid 20 Thaler
Thaler
The Thaler was a silver coin used throughout Europe for almost four hundred years. Its name lives on in various currencies as the dollar or tolar. Etymologically, "Thaler" is an abbreviation of "Joachimsthaler", a coin type from the city of Joachimsthal in Bohemia, where some of the first such...
s, 2 shirts, a pair of shoes and a pair of slippers per year plus bed and board. Instruction appears to have been restricted to the medieval trivium
Trivium
In medieval universities, the trivium comprised the three subjects that were taught first: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. The word is a Latin term meaning “the three ways” or “the three roads” forming the foundation of a medieval liberal arts education. This study was preparatory for the quadrivium....
and quadrivium
Quadrivium
The quadrivium comprised the four subjects, or arts, taught in medieval universities, after teaching the trivium. The word is Latin, meaning "the four ways" , and its use for the 4 subjects has been attributed to Boethius or Cassiodorus in the 6th century...
, and took place in the cloister of the parsonage until one schoolmaster hanged himself there and it was moved to a specially built round tower.
In 1625 Magdeburg was stricken by plague, parents withdrew their children, and the school was closed. The monastery was sacked and destroyed during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
. The school was re-established in 1660 with 6 pupils and although an unsuccessful court case was brought against the abbot in 1665 for excessive disciplining of 3 unruly pupils, starting in 1686 it was enlarged and reorganised as a gymnasium, preparing pupils for university study with a curriculum of religion, mathematics, history, geography, rhetoric, logic, poetry, moral philosophy, ars humaniora and fine arts, and came to be regarded as one of Germany's best schools. It reached its height of fame in the mid-18th century, under Abbot Johann Adam Steinmetz. The school was particularly known for its instruction in ancient and modern languages. At that time the school had 40–50 new pupils a year and a total student body of over 150, and noble families from all over the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and beyond sent their sons to be educated there. Goethe visited the monastery and praised the school and Steinmetz.
The monastery had become a centre of Pietism
Pietism
Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later. It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to...
; the school was closely associated with August Hermann Francke
August Hermann Francke
August Hermann Francke was a German Lutheran churchman.-Biography:Born at the German city Lübeck, Francke was educated at the gymnasium in Gotha before he studied at the universities of Erfurt and Kiel - where he came under the influence of the pietist Christian Kortholt - and finally Leipzig...
's Franckesche Stiftungen in Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
, and in 1735 an institute for the training of rural schoolteachers was founded. In 1750, after being denied official permission, Steinmetz with the assistance of some benefactors established a separate free school for 100 poor children of Magdeburg, in a house which he bought for the purpose.
Scientific research was also carried out at the monastery. In June 1761, Georg Christoph Silberschlag and Heinrich Wilhelm Bachmann detected the atmosphere of Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
at the monastery observatory.
The school declined starting in 1762 when Steinmetz' chosen successor as abbot proved unsatisfactory; he was authoritarian, sought to relate all instruction explicitly to the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and reduced expenditure excessively, including cutting back on free places at the school, and teachers and pupils left. By Easter 1768 there were only 33 pupils. In contrast he spent freely on the teacher training institute. He was removed from leadership of the school by royal decree in 1770 and eventually also from his position as abbot. His successor introduced classes in technology and hired Johann Gottlieb Cunradi to teach the subject but was unable to restore the school's reputation.; in 1784/5 a newspaper report stated, "The school has a very thoughtful director and some very able teachers—if only it also had pupils!"
During the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
Magdeburg surrendered to the French, and in 1810 the Kingdom of Westphalia
Kingdom of Westphalia
The Kingdom of Westphalia was a new country of 2.6 million Germans that existed from 1807-1813. It included of territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte...
ordered the school to be closed. It was shut down on March 30, after educating 2,200 pupils since 1686. The monastery library and scientific collections were donated to Halle University and the school library sold at auction.
Notable alumni
- Johann Christoph AdelungJohann Christoph AdelungJohann Christoph Adelung was a German grammarian and philologist.He was born at Spantekow, in Western Pomerania, and educated at schools in Anklam and Berge Monastery, Magdeburg, and the University of Halle...
- Carl Friedrich FaschCarl Friedrich FaschCarl Friedrich Christian Fasch was a German composer and harpsichordist.Born in Zerbst, he was the son of the composer Johann Friedrich Fasch. He was initially taught by his father. In 1756 he began service at the court of Frederick the Great of Prussia, where he served as deputy to Court...
- Ludwig Philipp vom Hagen
- Friedrich von MatthissonFriedrich von MatthissonFriedrich von Matthisson was a German poet.-Biography:He was born at Hohendodeleben near Magdeburg, the son of the village pastor, on the 23rd of January 1761. After studying theology and philology at the university of Halle, he was appointed in 1781 master at the classical school Philanthropinum...
- Friedrich Karl von Moser
- Stephan Schütze
- Christoph Martin WielandChristoph Martin WielandChristoph Martin Wieland was a German poet and writer.- Biography :He was born at Oberholzheim , which then belonged to the Free Imperial City of Biberach an der Riss in the south-east of the modern-day state of Baden-Württemberg...