Hugo Treffner Gymnasium
| Hugo Treffner High School Hugo Treffneri Gümnaasium |
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Hugo Treffner Gymnasium (on the right)
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| Address | |
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Munga 12 Tartu, Tartu County, 51007 Estonia |
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| Coordinates | 58°22′56″N 26°43′14″E / 58.38222°N 26.72056°ECoordinates: 58°22′56″N 26°43′14″E / 58.38222°N 26.72056°E |
| Information | |
| School type | State-funded, secondary school |
| Motto |
Non scholae, sed vitae discimus (We do not learn for the school, but for life) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Secular |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Founder | Hugo Treffner |
| Status | Open |
| Director | Ott Ojaveer |
| Head teacher | Aime Punga |
| Teaching staff |
Priidu Beier amongst others |
| Grades | 10–12 |
| Number of students | c. 540 |
| Average class size | 36 |
| Language | Estonian |
| Newspaper | Miilang |
| Alumni |
A.H. Tammsaare Harald Riipalu Edgar V. Saks |
| Website | www.htg.tartu.ee |
Hugo Treffner Gymnasium (Estonian: Hugo Treffneri Gümnaasium; abbreviated as HTG) is a secondary school in Tartu, Estonia with special emphasis on science education. Founded by Hugo Treffner, it was the only large secondary school in 19th century Estonia with dominantly Estonian students and no age restrictions. During the Estonian national awakening, the school greatly contributed to the numbers of Estonian intellectuals.
Hugo Treffner Gymnasium was founded by Hugo Treffner on 7 December 1883. The Treffner Name originated from Austria, connected to the royal family in the 1600s. During the thirty years war the family fled to Estonia. By the end of 1884, there were a total of 65 students studying various subjects in German. The school was special for offering secondary education to peasants. At the end of the year, a prep class was opened to teach languages and Treffner became a 4-class progymnasium. In 1886 and 1887, another 2 prep courses were opened on the primary level. In 1889, the official language changed to Russian.
Originally the classes took place in rented rooms. In 1886, Hugo Treffner bought a house for the school, which was expanded in 1887, 1888 and 1906. The building would be the school’s residence until 1919. The house was situated at the present site of the Hugo Treffner statue in Tartu. The original building was destroyed in 1941 by German troops invading Tartu.
The schools development was at a low from 1892 to 1897, caused by crop failure and peasants leaving the school. After that period, attendance rose sharply once again. The students of the early 20th century were involved in several nationalistic underground groups, which later evolved into the literary group "Young Estonia" (Noor-Eesti).
The school was recognized as a private gymnasium in 1907. The first director and founder of the school Hugo Treffner died on 29 February 1912. Before his death, the director position fell to a board composed of Mihkel Aavik, Nikolai Beldjugin, Konstantin Treffner and Vladimir Uspenski; in addition Cornelius Treffner, brother of Hugo Treffner, held a right to vote on matters proposed. The school was named Vladimir Uspenski Private Gymnasium after Hugo Treffner died. Uspenski, however, signed the school over to the alumni group "Upkeep of the Gymnasium Founded by Hugo Treffner Group". The group named Uspenski director, but when he left the faculty, Nikolai Sahharov became the director of the school, officially named "Gymnasium Founded by Hugo Treffner".
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