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A remarkable feat of Countess Maria Walburga von Truchsess-Waldburg-Zeil (1762-1828) during the Enlightenment was the founding of the famous educational institute at the chateau in Kunín (Kunewald). Within the framework of a very modern, but also rigorous teaching, one of the greatest emphases was placed on the natural sciences. The institute was a philanthropic establishment that served for the education of both boys and girls, František Palacký was one of the pupils.
The Philanthropic Educational Institute in Kunín was founded by the highly educated Countess Maria Walburga von Truchsess-Waldburg-Zeil in 1792. The concept of the institute was based on the ideas of the Swiss educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, whom the Countess visited during her study trips focusing on Enlightenment education. The institute itself was modelled on the institute of the Saxon teacher Christian Gottfried Salzmann in Schnepfenthal. But the Protestant pastor and Illuminatus Heinrich Viktor Riecke from Brno was a great support for Countess Truchsess-Waldburg-Zeil during the actual establishing of the institute. With the ideological background of establishing a government of love between people, accompanied by religious tolerance, boys and girls from different national and social groups aged 5 to 15 were taught in Kunín. Classes started at five in the morning and ended at seven in the evening. As in other philanthropic institutions, the children were later to become mostly clerks or merchants, but a great emphasis was placed on the natural sciences in their education. The natural science tendency was significantly strengthened in 1806 when Karel Josef Jurende took over the management of the institute and maintained intensive contacts with leading Moravian scientists, such as the prominent naturalist Christian Karel André. In addition to teaching mathematics, Jurende placed great emphasis on quality teaching of physics, natural history and geography, and anthropology was also taught here. Jurende was also very active in the planting of fruit trees in Kunín and thanks to his efforts about a million of them were planted there. He worked at the institute until 1809. The Kunin Educational Institute also included a cabinet of natural history objects, especially minerals and fossils, which the Countess often purchased during her travels abroad. On these occasions, however, she would also acquire other teaching aids, such as geographical maps or physics apparatuses, as well as the latest scientific publications for the extensive Kunín library. Beside natural sciences, European history, national history and geography, piano, singing, drawing and gymnastics were also taught in Kunín. However, excursions to the near and distant surroundings were also part of the education here. It is an interesting fact that the famous Czech historian František Palacký studied at the educational institute in Kunín in 1807-1809. After the accession of Duke Metternich to the imperial ministerial post in 1810, the freethinking educational institute in Kunín became a source of annoyance to him, as it was not under full state supervision. The final abolition of the Institute took place in 1814.
- References
Konečný, M., Cerman, I.: Tváře osvícenství. Kroměříž 2021, s. 235.
Kroupa, J.: Alchymie štěstí. Brno 2006, s. 143.
Zezulčík, J.: Mládí Františka Palackého v Hodslavicích a na škole v Kuníně. In: Orlita, Z., Polách, R., Zezulčík, J.: Památník Františka Palackého v Hodslavicích, s. 56–94.
Internetový zdroj:
Neznámý autor: Kabinet přírodnin. In: Zámek Kunín. URL: http://zamek.kunin.cz/zamek/kabinet-prirodnin/?pageshowing=2 [14.9.2021].
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