
Educational institution with more than 140 years of history where many generations of Mariupol citizens studied.
‘Civil society’, as we would term it today, existed in Ukraine well before the term was coined. The initiative to construct the Oleksandrivska Male Gymnasium in Mariupol was an example of the local community’s activity.
The port city of Mariupol grew rapidly in the second half of the 19th century, prompting the establishment of a new educational institution. In 1875, the first academic year began for the students of the preparatory and first grades at the pro-gymnasium. A year later, the gymnasium was opened. During its first 20 years, the school rented space from a local merchant because it lacked its own building. However, the construction of the school finally began in 1894 at the request of the students’ parents. It was soon built and designed by Odessa architect Mykola Tolvinskyi in the Neo-Baroque style with Secession elements.
Almost 5 years later, on October 30, 1899, the Oleksandrivska Gymnasium opened its doors for the first time. The building became a hub for academic life and student self-government. Here, a museum, a library, and the journal ‘Pervotsvit’ (‘Primrose’) were established, and the journal was printed by high school students at the gymnasium printing house.
Soon after, the Bolsheviks closed the Oleksandrivska Male Gymnasium. At various times, the building housed courses for village activists, a party school, and a metallurgical technical school. At the beginning of the Second World War, this location housed a Soviet and then a German hospital. As they were retreating, the Nazis set fire to the former gymnasium. It was restored in 1952, again at the initiative and expense of the metallurgical technical college students’ parents.
The college functioned until February 2022. More than 1,300 students studied law, tourism, welding, engineering, management, electrical engineering, transport, and computer technology at this institution.
However, in the spring of 2022, Mariupol was entirely destroyed by the Russian troops because the city didn’t surrender till the end. Mariupol College stopped working. Its facades, windows, and roof were damaged. For many generations of Mariupol residents, this institution served as a place of personal development and a source of fond childhood memories.
The site that once held memories has now turned into a memory itself.