The Prague Woman Who Founded Central Europe’s First Girls’ Gymnasium

Long before women in Central Europe could choose a profession, attend university, or even take the same final exams as men, one woman in Prague was fighting to change the system. Today, Eliška Krásnohorská is remembered as a writer, poet, translator and librettist. Yet her most lasting achievement may have been something far more revolutionary: helping establish the first academic girls’ grammar school in Central Europe, giving young women a path to higher education for the first time. Born in Prague in 1847 as Elisabeth Dorothea Pechová, Krásnohorská grew up in an educated but modest household. From an early age, she was determined to learn as much as possible. However, opportunities for girls were limited. While boys could continue their studies through formal institutions, women had few options beyond basic schooling. As a result, Krásnohorská educated herself. Through relentless reading and self-study, she developed extensive knowledge of literature, music and languages. Her talent emerged early. At just twelve years old, she wrote her first opera libretto for composer Karel Bendl. By the age of sixteen, she had translated Robert Schumann’s songs for Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. But writing alone was not enough for her. In the 1870s, Krásnohorská became increasingly involved in the growing Czech women’s movement. Working alongside prominent figures such as writer Karolína Světlá, she supported efforts to improve educational opportunities for girls and women from disadvantaged backgrounds. Through the women’s magazine Ženské listy, which she later edited, she advocated for what was then a radical idea: that women deserved the same educational opportunities as men. She believed women could only achieve economic equality if they had access to professions previously reserved for men. Yet university admission required passing the maturita, the secondary school leaving examination. Since girls had no access to the same type of grammar schools attended by boys, university remained out of reach. The solution, she argued, was obvious: establish a girls’ gymnasium. In 1890, after years of campaigning and fundraising through the newly created Minerva Association, that vision became reality. Authorities approved the creation of Minerva, the first academic girls’ grammar school not only in the Austro-Hungarian Empire but widely regarded as the first institution of its kind in Central Europe. The school’s first home stood at Pštrossova 15 in Prague’s New Town. Its significance extended far beyond Prague. Minerva offered girls the rigorous education needed to pass the maturita and qualify for university studies. The success of its students helped persuade authorities to gradually open university faculties to women. Women were admitted to the Faculty of Arts in 1897, followed by other faculties, including medicine, in the years that followed. The first female university graduates in Czech lands were, in many ways, the culmination of Krásnohorská’s efforts. Recognition eventually followed. In 1922, Charles University awarded her an honorary doctorate. President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk later appointed her as the first female member of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts. Eliška Krásnohorská died in Prague in 1926 at the age of 79. Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more The post The Prague Woman Who Founded Central Europe’s First Girls’ Gymnasium appeared first on Prague Morning.