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Establishment of the Tobolsk Provincial Gymnasium
March 12 marks the 210th anniversary of the Tobolsk Provincial Gymnasium opening in 1810. Its establishment was the result of the school educational reform of the beginning of the XIX century. The gymnasium was based on the upper forms of the Main Public School.
The first director of the gymnasium was a Collegiate assessor August Hristianovich Eiben. He reconstructed the educational building and hired regular teachers. Reorganization of school into gymnasium required additional costs, new staff, new textbooks. The period of changes took almost 6 years. The new gymnasium education demanded new teachers' qualifications and duties. Gymnasium teachers had to perform the functions of attendants and engage in cultural and education work with students. They were not allowed to hold the other positions and work anywhere besides the gymnasiums as well as invoke physical punishments to students. All of these measures aimed to improve the work in the educational institution. Ivan Pavlovich Mendeleev was a prominent teacher in the gymnasium, he taught philosophy, political economy, logic, and Russian literature. He used to be a director of the gymnasium in 1828-1834.
In the beginning, the Tobolsk Provincial Gymnasium had a 4-year educational program with one educational course. It studied mathematics, history, and geography, natural history, Latin language, philosophy, Tatar language, drawing. In 1811-1812 the Tobolsk Provincial Gymnasium improved the religious education of students. It enlarged the number of teachers of the elements of Russian Orthodox Church doctrine, and the number of holidays of Orthodox holidays. This all increased the trust and respect of the Russian teachers, who were people of high moral character and civil merits and knew well their native land.
Since 1815, education of 2–4 students in the gymnasium was state-financed.
Since 1819, the monitoring of knowledge was enhanced, gymnasium curriculum and 4-point rating system were implemented (4 - excellent, 3 - good, 2 - not bad, 1 - bad marks).
In 1824, a pension for 10 gymnasium-financed students was open.
In 1836, the gymnasium launched a 7-year educational program. The same year it hired Pyotr Pavlovich Ershov, the Saint-Petersburg University graduate, author of the "The Humpbacked Horse" poetic tale.
First, he taught the Latin language, then logic and Russian literature. He made a significant contribution of enriching the gymnasium library with the works of Russian writers. In 1843, he was appointed inspector of the gymnasium, in 1857–1862 he served as the director.
In June 1837, the gymnasium was visited by the heir to the Russian throne, Alexander Nikolayevich, the future emperor Alexander II. He was satisfied with the cleanliness and order of the institution. A special board with the golden letters was placed in the hall to perpetuate this event.
In 1849, Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev - an outstanding scientist who discovered periodic trends, graduated from the Tobolsk Provincial Gymnasium.
In 1852, after the opening of the women's educational institution in Tobolsk, the gymnasium was entitled as a male gymnasium.
In 1864, Russia adopted a new Statute of the gymnasium, that reformed the entire gymnasium system. Gymnasiums were divided into classic and real. Сlassic gymnasiums prepared students for the universities and gave wide knowledge of languages. Real gymnasiums prepared students for the technical universities and taught natural sciences, math, and chemistry. The Statute allowed the gymnasiums to set some local rules for its activities. The Tobolsk Provincial Gymnasium became classic with the obligatory study of 2 languages: Greek and Latin. Since 1871, the gymnasium established the progymnasium.
By 1889, the Tobolsk Provincial Gymnasium provided 12 personal scholarships.
In 1892, the gymnasium moved to a new building, the old house became a pension.
In 1919, the last students graduated from the gymnasium. In 1921, the Tobolsk Pedagogical College was located in the building of the former Tobolsk Provincial Gymnasium.
Over the years of its existence, the Tobolsk Provincial Gymnasium has made a great contribution to the development of culture not only of Tobolsk but also of Russia as a whole. The most famous students of the Tobolsk Provincial Gymnasium are Russian encyclopedic scientist D. I. Mendeleev; folklorist ethnographer V. V. Passek; memoirist K. M. Golodnikov; rector of the Kazan University A. Kremlev; professor of the Kazan University K. Chugunov; folklorist I. A. Khudyakov; local historian, first director of the Tyumen Real School I. Slovtsov; director of the Tomsk Real School G. K. Tyumentsev; traveler, archaeologist, and publicist A. V. Adrianov; geologist, researcher of the Far East and Siberia Y. A. Makerov; researcher of Byzantine Kh. M. Loparyov; geography, tundra, and Arctic researcher Gorodkov.
Lit.: Бонифатьева Г. Т. Александровское реальное училище // Большая Тюменская энциклопедия. Т. 3. Р-Я. Тюмень, 2004 (с. 213-214); Голодников К. Воспоминания о Тобольской гимназии // Тобольские губернские ведомости. Редакторский корпус: Антология тобольской журналистики конца XIX – начала XX вв. / сост. Ю. Л. Мандрика. Тюмень, 2004 (с. 250-283); Лицман Г. Н. В память о дореволюционной Тобольской гимназии 1789–1889 годов // Личность, семья и общество: вопросы педагогики и психологии: сборник статей по материалам XLIII международной научно-практической конференции. № 8 (43). Новосибирск, 2014 (с. 23-30); Рафиенко Л. Тобольская мужская гимназия – центр культуры и просвещения // Тобольск и вся Сибирь: альманах. № 18: 425 лет Тобольску. Тобольск, 2012 (с. 546-554); Синицына М. Г. К открытию Тобольской гимназии // Словцовские чтения–99: тезисы докладов и сообщений научно-практической конференции. Тюмень, 1999 (c. 112-115); Становление и развитие классического образования в Западной Сибири XIX – начала ХХ веков: сборник научных статей / Тобольская государственная социально-педагогическая академия имени Д. И. Менделеева / под ред. В. С. Сулимова. Тобольск, 2012; Тобольская гимназия // Колыбель просвещения: к трёхсотлетию сибирской школы / Ю. П. Прибыльский. М., 2001 (с. 47-49); Шулинин Ю. А. От Ермака до Оленберга: хроника стольного града. Тюмень, 2010 (с. 161).
From the Presidential library materials:
Крылов А. Освящение нового здания Тобольской губернской гимназии. Тобольск, 1893
Отчёт общества вспомоществования бедным учащимся в Тобольской гимназии за 1907 год. Тобольск, 1908