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The Polish grammar school in Bytom

The referendum in Upper Silesia in 1921 sealed the partition of the province into Polish and German sections. In the following years the efforts of the Union of Poles in Germany (Związek Polaków w Niemczech), led to the successful creation of a Polish secondary school in the area of the German Reich, providing tuition up to A-level. In 1930, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the school strike in the Prussian and Russian sectors the Committee for Celebrating the 21st Anniversary of the Struggle for a Polish School (Komitet Obchodu 25-lecia Walki o Szkołę Polską) was called in to life. The idea behind it was to erect a private Polish Grammar School in Germany. The official opening of the Grammar School in Bytom took place on 8th November 1932. From then on the school existed until the outbreak of the Second World War.

The Polish grammar school in Beuthen/Bytom

Muzeum Górnośląskie w Bytomiu, Sign. MGB/H/ZF/1134

The teaching staff at the Polish Grammar School between 1932 and 1939

Family and first name	Subject	Nationality
Sołtys Miłosz	Headmaster (July–October 1932) Geography	Polish
Nechay de Felseis Wiktor	Headmaster (November 1932–January 1936) Geography	Polish
Kozanecki Florian	Headmaster (January 1936–June 1937) German, French	Polish
Miętkiewicz Piotr	Headmaster (June 1937–August 1939) German	Polish
Henke Józef	Deputy Headmaster – August 1939 Drawing	Polish
Będziński Marian	History	Polish
Ciałoń Wilhelm	Latin, Greek, German	Polish
Gajda Józef	Mathematics	Polish
Gembala Alojzy	History	Polish
Gębik Władysław	Biology, Chemistry	Polish
Janowski Franciszek	French, English	German
Jońca Stefan	Latin, Greek, German	German
Kowal Wincenty	Latin, Greek, French	Polish
Krzykala Franciszek	Mathematics, Physics	Polish
Kubis Ryszard	German, French, Polish	German
Lubos Jerzy	Latin, Greek, German	Polish
Maćkowiak Edmund	Music Theory, Singing	Polish
Mayr Józef	Biology, Geography	Polish
Nawrot Franciszek	Catholic Religion	Polish
Nowak Franciszek	French, German	Polish
Nowakowski Michał	Polish	Polish
Ochendal Dominik	Gymnastics	German
Olejniczak Stanisław	Latin, Greek, History	German
Podoba Marceli	Mathematics	Polish
Przybylski Witold	Gymnastics	Polish
Ratajczak Alfons	German, French	German
Smoleń Jan	Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry	Polish
Szwed Edward	Polish	Polish
Wojaczek Edward	German, Polish	Polish
Spychalski Mirosław	School doctor	German

Source: APK, 683, Prywatne gimnazjum z polskim językiem wykładowym w Bytomiu (1932–1939) [Private Grammar School with lessons in Polish in Bytom (1932-1939)], Sign. 42, Wnioski o siły nauczycielskie (1932–1933) [Applications for teaching posts (1932-1933)]; Sign. 45, Wnioski o siły nauczycielskie (1937–1939) [Applications for teaching posts (1937-1939)]; BB, private estate. Private school files Bytom. Polish Grammar School, Sign. 139, Personal files (1932–1936); J. Lubos, Dzieje polskiego gimnazjum w Bytomiu w świetle dokumentów i wspomnień, Opole 1971, pp. 46–47.