Lyceum

This article is about Lyceum as school or as public hall. Lyceum can also be short for Lyceum Theatre. For the blogging platform, see Lyceum (software).

A Lyceum can be

an educational institution (often a school of secondary education in Europe), or
a public hall used for cultural events like concerts.

The precise usage of the term varies among various countries.

Ancient Greek Lyceum (word origins)

The Lyceum (Λύκειον, Lykeion) was a gymnasium in ancient Athens, most famous for its association with Aristotle. The Lyceum is the birthplace of Western science and philosophy. The complex itself, named for its sanctuary to Lycian Apollo, dates from before the 6th century BC, while Aristotle founded his famous school there in 335 BC. Aristotle walked in the lyceum's stoae and grounds as he lectured, surrounded by a throng of students, so the philosophical school he founded was called the Peripatetics.

Aristotle was the head of his school until 322 BC when he fled to Macedon after a charge of impiety was made against him. Theophrastus served as the second head of the school. Later heads include Strato of Lampsacus and Alexander of Aphrodisias.

The school was sacked by Roman general Lucius Cornelius Sulla in 86 BC, but it was later rebuilt. The precise date at which the Lyceum ceased to be used is not known. The actual location of the complex was lost for centuries, until it was rediscovered in 1996, during excavations for the new Museum of Modern Art. Recovery of the site was a goal for modern Greek national identity. "We have now, here, in Athens, the main proof about the historical continuity of the Hellenic cultural heritage," said Cultural Minister Venizelos Evangelos.

Lyceums of the Russian Empire

In Imperial Russia, a Lyceum was one of the following high educational facilities: Demidov Lyceum of Law in Yaroslavl (1801), Alexander Lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo (1810), and Imperial Katkov Lyceum in Moscow (1867).

The Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was opened on October 19, 1811 in the neoclassical building designed by Vasily Stasov and situated next to the Catherine Palace. The first graduates were all brilliant and included Aleksandr Pushkin and Alexander Gorchakov. The opening date was celebrated each year with carousals and revels, and Pushkin composed new verses for each of those occasions. In January 1844 the Lyceum was moved to Saint Petersburg.

During 33 years of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum's existence, there were 286 graduates. The most famous of these were Anton Delwig, Wilhelm Küchelbecher, Nicholas de Giers, Dmitry Tolstoy, Yakov Karlovich Grot, Nikolay Yakovlevich Danilevsky, Alexei Lobanov-Rostovsky and Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin.

Lyceums also emerged in the former Soviet Union countries after they became independent. One typical example is Uzbekistan, where all high schools where replaced with lyceums ("litsey" is the Uzbek term, from French "lycee"), offering three-year educational program with a certain major in certain direction. Unlike Turkey, Uzbek lyceums do not hold University entrance examination, which gives students the right to enter a University, but they hold a kind of "mock examination" which is designed to test their eligibility for a certain University.

Lyceums in today's education

The term lyceum is still used in some (mostly European) countries when referring to a type of school.

Greece & Cyprus

The word lyceum is in use for secondary education (Greek: Ενιαίο Λύκειο, Eniaio Lykeio "Aggregate / Integrated Lyceum") specifically for the last three high school classes in Greece and Cyprus.

France

The French word for an upper secondary school, lycée, derives from Lyceum. (see Secondary education in France)

Finland

The concept and name lyceum (or lyseo in Finnish) entered Finland through Sweden. Traditionally, lyceums were schools to prepare students to enter universities, as opposed to the typical, more general education. Some old schools continue to use the name lyceum, though their operations today vary. For example, Helsinki Normal Lyceum educates students in grades 7-12, while Oulu Lyceum enrolls students only in grades 10-12. The more commonly used term for upper secondary school in Finland is lukio.

Italy

The Italian word for some kinds of secondary schools: liceo classico (specializing in classical studies, including Latin and Ancient Greek 5ys, and English), liceo scientifico (specializing in scientific studies, and with Latin and English for 5ys) , liceo artistico (specializing in art subjects, with Latin and English for 5ys), liceo linguistico (specializing in foreign languages: English, French, Latin 5ys; Spanish or German last 3ys). It lasts 5 years between 14 and 18 years of age. The lyceum is the most frequented kind of school in Italy. In this kind of school the students study for all the 5 years latin and English. (ancient Greek for classical lyceum)

Malta

Junior lyceums refer to secondary education state owned schools.

Poland

The Polish word for a secondary education facility, liceum, also derives from that term. Polish liceums are attended by children ages from 16 to 19 or 21 (see list below). At their end students are subject to a final exam called matura. The matura is preceded by a traditional ball called studniówka.

Polish liceums can be divided into several types:

Turkey

The Turkish word for the latest part of pre-university education is lise which is derived from the French word lycée and corresponds to "high school" in English. It lasts 3 to 5 years with respect to the type of the high school. At the end of their "lise" education, students take the ÖSS test (Öğrenci Seçme Sınavı), i.e. university entrance examination, to get the right to enroll to a university.

Romania

The Romanian term is liceu and it represents a post-secondary, pre-university educational institution. It is more specialized than secondary school. Certain specialized lyceum diplomas are enough to find a job.

American Lyceums "Chautauquas"

In the mid-1800s and early 1900s there was an informal network of Lyceums often called Chautauqua in the United States, usually in small towns. Professional speakers would tour from town to town, lecturing on history, politics, art, and cultural topics in general, usually holding open discussion after the lecture. The structures were usually a theater or gymnasium space and sometimes large tents, often adjacent to or part of the Town Hall. The best description of this mostly forgotten phenomenon might be a cross between the European Coffeehouse of the 17th and 18th centuries with the organizational aspects of Vaudeville.

Lyceums as honorifics

In honor of Aristotle's Lyceum, several other organizations and schools have used the name lyceum. For instance, Harrisburg's elite Tuesday Club has a speaker's series--George Soros has been the most prominent to date--which uses the name "Lyceum."

External links

School types | Aristotle

Lyzeum | Lycée | Lyceum | リセ | Liceum ogólnokształcące

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