Aloysian College. Austria
| Aloysian College. Austria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Freinbergstraße, Linz, Austria | |
| Information | |
| Type | Catholic day school, since 1992 |
| Established | 1912 |
| Principal | Karl Hödl |
| Grades | Gymnasium & realgymnasium |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Previous use | St. Aloysius Jesuit Seminary |
| Teachers | 55 (2015/16) |
| Website | Aloisianum |
 | |
The College Aloisianum in Linz, Austria, is a private, Catholic Gymnasium and Realgymnasium. Its roots are in a Jesuit seminary on the grounds in 1837, and the enlargement of this seminary as St. Aloysius Jesuit College in 1853. In 1912 the seminary took its present name, and in 1992 it became a day school open to the general populace, while still carrying on the mission of Ignatian pedagogy.[1]
History
Archduke Maximilian of the House of Habsburg-Este, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, donated Maximilian's Church (Maximilianskirchlein) and the Freinberg tower, near Linz, Austria, to the Jesuits of the Austrian province[2] in 1837. The "Freinberg" is a prominent hill in Linz.[3] This was the first residence of Austrian Jesuits after their readmission into Austria after the suppression and was used for philosophical studies by members of the Society of Jesus studying for the priesthood.
This was interrupted by the Revolutions of 1848. In 1851 it became a minor seminary for those contemplating a religious vocation. When in 1853 the seminary outgrew the tower, Maximilian built a large boarding school, St. Aloysius Jesuit College, next to the Freinberg tower. This Jesuit seminary closed in 1897 with the founding of the enormous Petrinum as a diocesan seminary, and reopened again in 1912 as the Collegium Aloysianum, a minor seminary for those destined for missionary work. But during the First World War the students had to share the building with a military hospital, and after the War the school and tower were plundered. Nonetheless, in the 1920s and 1930s many graduates became priests and about 50 joined the Jesuits, often for missionary work in China and Brazil. In 1938 Aloysianum was closed as the Nazi Wehrmacht used the building and grounds. After the War it was used as a refugee camp, and then returned to the Jesuits in 1946. In 1950 it opened again as a high school. After many changes in structure, in 1992 it became a private Catholic day school dedicated to the ideals of Ignatian pedagogy but without Jesuit teachers.[4][5]
Former students
The Alumni Association of the school is the Verein der Altfreinberger . Well-known graduates of the College, by year of birth, are among others:[6]
- Karl Grufeneder (born 1949), educator and politician (ÖVP)
- Heinrich Schaller (born 1959), bank manager
- Alexander Neuhuber (born 1964), politician (ÖVP)
- Thomas Stelzer (born 1967), Klubobmann of the ÖVP in the town council of Linz
- Gerhard Jarosch (born 1968), prosecutor
- Tarek Leitner (born 1972), journalist and TV presenter
Literature
- Wilhelm Remes. 150 years of school on the Freinberg - 90 years of the College Aloisianum. Linz: Schulverein Kollegium Aloisianum, 2002.
Weblinks
- Website of the College Aloisianum
- Association of the Altfreinberger (Graduate Association)
- Mission Statement of the College Aloisianum
References
Coordinates: 48°17′46.14″N 14°16′6.51″E / 48.2961500°N 14.2684750°E