DATE

EVENT

1817

In November the first form of 25 students was started by Pius Rieger, Bochnia's parish priest with the support of people's delegates' assembly, thus bringing into life the decree on founding gymnasium schools in district towns which had been issued by Austria's Emperor Franz I.

1818

Rev. Pius Rieger was nominated the Religious Education teacher of the school. Anton Baum de Apfelshofen - Bochnia's starost (mayor) and official counsellor - was appointed to the post of the headmaster.

1818-1822

The school achieved the status of a full school consisting of four grammatical forms and two humanistic ones. The former St. Bernard monastery became the seat of the school. 1825: the town authorities gave the school a square of land which was used by the pupils for breaks between lessons.

1818-1849

Subjects taught: Religious Education, Latin, Greek, Poetics and Rhetoric, Geography, and History, Mathematics, Natural History. Staff : at the beginning all were of German-Czech origin except for Rev. Jan Kanty Mika of Wilamowice, Poland. The first Polish teachers were employed in the 1840s.

1826

Rev. Anatoni Liszka, a monk from Prague, became the Religious Education teacher of the gymnasium.

1830-1846

The participation of the present and former students of the Bochnia gymnasium in the November Uprising, Galician conspiracies and in 1846 events.
Karol Schlosser (1820-24 a student of the gymnasium) and Franciszek Bielowski were participants of the November Uprising. Fortunat Stadnicki, Jozef Wasciszakowski, Ferdynand Hoszard - members of liberation organizations (Polish People's Association and Polish All Nation Confederation since 1837).

1835

Secret Polish Literature and History Self-education Club was founded by Fortunat Stadnicki and 14 (out of 16) were arrested.

1845

Another gymnasium students' plot was discovered. The following students were arrested: August Przerwa -Tetmajer, Leopold Zagajewski, Alfred Dolfler, Ignacy Ostrzeszewicz, Jan Bochenski.

1846

Dyzma Chromy and Zeleslaw Bobrowski (former students) were arrested for arrangements supporting the uprising.

1847

Franz Brugger from Vienna became the Religious Education teacher of the school.

1848-1849

The number of students reached 173 and they were mainly from villages (sons of land administrators); famous alumni of the initial period: Fryderyk Zoll (senior) - distinguished professor of medicine in Vienna, Gejza Bukowski - a well known geologist (published 60 papers including a geological map of the Bochnia region);

1848 - the starost (mayor) was no longer in management; since 1850 the Religious Education teacher became the headmaster;

Polish was spoken in Religious Education classes; Since 1848 all subject swere taught in Polish. Wincenty Keidosch, a Czech, became the headmaster.

1851

The school was reduced to 4 lower forms (lower gymnasium) by the authorities of the Austrian regime to show disapproval towards Peoples' Spring Uprising (Wiosna Ludów). German was brought back and there were fewer students and teachers (98 in 1857).
Religious Education teacher Rev. Jozef Czajkowski was running the school as its headmaster.

1863

Franciszek Szyglarski became the headmaster.

1867

The Emperor Franz Joseph validated the law of the Galician Parliament about the language of instruction in senior state schools and the Polish language was brought back.

1868

Teodor Bilous became the headmaster. It was due to him that the school was rebuilt and renovated.

1885

Owing to Bochnia's Mayor's (Josef Trybulec) initiative the resolution to build a new school was passed.

4.12.1886

The opening of the new school building.

1887

179 students at school. Outstanding students: Jan Czubek - classical philologist, Polish literature historian, editor and librarian, member of PAN (the Polish Academy of Science); Rev. Walenty Gadowski - author of handbooks of ethics and psychology, propagator of alpine tourism;
Rev. Jan Fijalek - professor at Lvov and Cracow Universities, Church historian, member of the Polish Academy of Science, 1903-1905 the rector at the Jagiellonian University;Ludwik Stasiak - painter, art historian;
Jan Swiatek - ethnographer, member of the Antropological Commission at the Polish Academy of Science;
Jerzy Zulawski - poet (author of "Na srebrnym globie");
Franciszek Szczepanski - propagator of education in Polish villages.

26.07.1888

The school status was changed from that of the lower gymnasium to the higher gymnasium by virtue of the Austrian Emperor's decree.

1888-1908

The number of the teaching staff increased to 40, many teachers were involved in academic, editorial and social activities; Stanislaw Skimina published his handbooks of Latin, later became professor at Torun and Cracow Universities; Michal Mazanowski - historian of Polish literature;
The number of students increased up to 614 in 1908, most of them Polish Catholics, sons of peasants from Bochnia and its region; a small percentage were the children of officials, merchants and craftsmen.

1890

A secret organization was founded by the student Jan Jachna.

1892

The first final examinations for the secondary school certificate was held at the school.

1893

Professor Jan Ptasnik founded a students' organization called "Przebudzenie" ("Revival"); self-education clubs started springing up attracting 120 students at their best.

1901

A students' hostel consisting of a canteen, chapel and flats for the Religious Education teacher, the caretaker and for 46 students was founded.

1906

Jozef Kurowski became the headmaster. The main activities: the school's own library (15 000 in 1913), Literature and History Clubs, a brass and string orchestra and a scout organization.

1908

Zarzewiacka Mlodziez Niepodleglosciowa - a youth liberation organization was founded.

1914-1920

Present and former students fought in the Polish-Bolshevik War in 1920 under Jozef Pilsudski's command. The school was occupied by army officers. The lessons were transferred to other buildings in the town. The number of students decreased. Headmaster: Stanislaw Sluszkiewicz. Outstanding alumni at the turn of the century: historians - Franciszek Bujak, Roman Grodecki, Ludwik Piotrowicz, Jan Ptasnik, Kazimierz Kaczmarczyk, Karol Piotrowicz, Jozef Struga;
Jan Olbrych - specialist in forensic medicine;
Wladyslaw Kiernik - peasant movement activist and then minister of agriculture;
Karol Frycz, Marcin Samlicki, Wladyslaw Skoczylas, Boguslaw Serwin, Antoni Waskowski - artists.

1924

The biggest number of students in the interwar period (739); the students were mainly from villages; an increasing number of students from white-collar and craftsman families. The school took the name of King Casimir the Great.

1927

A plaque commemorating the death of 57 students and 5 teachers 1914-1920 was unveiled in the school hall.

1933

The upper gymnasium was gradually reformed as the lower gymnasium (4 forms) and the lyceé (2 forms). The school became coeducational and Emil Jezyk was the headmaster.

1938

The lyceé was divided into two specializations: in Mathemathics and in Physics. Piotr Galas became the headmaster. Distinguished teachers of the interwar period: Stanislaw Fischer, Henryk Trzpis, Stanislaw Serwin, Jozef Wnek, Edmund Plomienski; The students were involved in many activities and organizations: Students' Council, Scouting, A Military Defence League, Marine and Colonial League, Polish Red Cross, Pupils' Savings Bank, Sports Club, school choir and orchestra.

1939-45

In September 1939 the school building was turned into barracks by the German troops and afterwards destroyed. The library was hidden in the salt mine and thus saved. The attempts to reopen the school in October 1939 failed; In November 1939 an underground teaching movement was initiated by Piotr Galas. The first teachers to give secret lessons were: Wieslawa Kotowa, Zdzislaw Zajaczkowski (died in Auschwitz, 1941), Klemens and Janina Kietlinski, Wladyslaw Janik, Emil Jezyk and Urszula Winska (later prisoner at Ravensbruck Concentration camp); By the end of 1944 more teachers were involved in secret teaching: Antoni Chyl, Olga Chylowa, Rev, Antoni Czaplinski, Stanislaw Fischer, Jan Gebica, Janina Golemowa, Julian Goslar, Jan Iwonski, Fryderyka Jarzebinska, Anna Kaczmarczykowa, Rudolf Kasprzyk, Boleslaw Kazior, Jozef Kluska-Stawowski, Jan Kot, Helena Kwapniewska, Zofia Maciejewsja, Lucyna Marcoin, Franciszek Niewolak, Antonina Niwinska, Jadwiga Nowakowna, Leokadia Rodziewicz, Janina Sarnowna, Stanislawa Sierpinska, Wanda Sroczynska, Maciej Suwada.
The secret teaching organization called the Board of Culture and Education of the Bochnia District was founded in 1942. The director of the Board was Emil Jezyk; Piotr Galas was in charge of secondary education. In 1944 64 teachers and 423 students were engaged in the secret educational system including the taking of the final examinations for the secondary school certificate. In March 1945 the school was officially reopened; 911 students started the education.

1947

Headmaster: Zdzislaw Wrobel.

1948

Zdzislaw Wrobel resigned and was followed by Seweryn Ellnein as temporary replacement; Stanislaw Biernacki became the headmaster. The curriculum was covering 4 years of secondary education of the upper school (liceé).

1950

Headmaster: Julian Bogowski. The school banner of 1925 was lost.

1956

Headmaster: Stanislaw Biernacki.

1959

Headmaster: Janina Sarna.

1960

Headmaster: Zofia Marzec.

1962

The school held the 70^th anniversary of its first leaving examinations together with the former pupils' reunion. The commemorative plaque in honour of 5 professors and 127 students killed by the Nazis during World War II was unveiled in the school hall.

1963-67

Refurbishment and modernization of the school building was carried out. On 150^th anniversary the School received a new banner: the face of the banner showed the bust of King Casimir the Great and an eagle without a crown on the reverse side.

1972

Headmaster: Jozef Mirochna.

1978

The School became a Group of Secondary Schools consisting of the King Casimir the Great Secondary Grammar School and the Evening Secondary Grammar School.

1979

The school's own sports hall was opened.

1982-1987

Headmaster: Jan Makurat.

1987-1991

Headmaster: Andrzej Debiec.

1988

The school's 170^th Anniversary and reunion. The School was awarded Krzyz Oficerski Orderu Odrodzenia Polski (Polish military decoration) and a Gold Medal of the Polish Teachers' Association.

1991

Marek Calka became the headmaster.

1997

180^th Anniversary. A commemorative plaque with the names of teachers - members of the secret teaching organization during World War II was unveiled. A celebratory meeting of the Town Council was held in the school sports hall. The school received the restored banner from 1925.