Karlovci Grammar School throughout History
Karlovci Grammar School was founded in 1791 as the first grammar school in Serbia.
During the 18th century most Serbs were illiterate. Such state of affairs did not go unnoticed by the archbishops, who appealed to the Austrian Court, intent on founding a school in Sremski Karlovci. The Austrian rulers did not look kindly on this tendency but soon with the help of Archbishop Stefan Stratimirović and the patronage of a respectable merchant, Dimitrije Anastasijević Sabov, Serbs got their first grammar school.
The lectures, in Latin and German, were held in the former building of the Latin School, and in 1852/53, Serbian as a mother tongue was introduced into the curriculum. In 1873 the school was awarded accreditation for graduation examination.
In 1890, the former building of the Latin School was demolished and a new building, an endowment of Patriarch German Anđelić and his brother Stevan, was built and still stands today. The building was designed by Hungarian architect Đula Partoš and closely resembles Studenica Monastery.
Since its establishment in 1921/22, Karlovci Grammar School was under the patronage of the Serbian Orthodox Church. In 1930s there was a gradual return of the classical classes and studies, which resulted in Karlovci Grammar School becoming an intermediate school governed by the State. In 1976, Karlovci Grammar School offered the courses in translation, cultural studies, archive and museum studies and law studies. In 1990, Karlovci Grammar School obtained its present status as a philological school of classical and modern languages.
Karlovci Grammar School Today
Karlovci Grammar School is a philological school with 24 students per class, who are additionally divided into groups of 12 in Serbian and foreign language courses. To enroll, students have to pass an entrance test specially designed for philological schools. The school follows a curriculum for talented students.
Students can study modern languages, such as English, Russian, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese and Norwegian, as well as classical languages, such as Ancient Greek and Latin.
Karlovci Grammar School students can take tests and obtain international certificates in German – DSD B1/B2/C1, French – DELF, Spanish – DELE, Chinese – HSK and Russian – TRKI.
Thanks to the school`s cooperation with foreign embassies and cultural centers, the students take part in various international exchange programs and projects with China, Germany, Russia, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy and have classes with native speakers of German, Russian, Japanese and Chinese.
Besides attending the classes, the students can hone their skills in extra-curricular activities: singing in the school`s choir, acting in Serbian or a foreign language, writing for the school`s magazine Branko, taking part in the Student Parliament or becoming tourist guides to numerous visitors.
