Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam

The Athenaeum Illuste Amsterdam was a pre-university educational institution in Amsterdam that existed from 1632 to 1877 and is considered a forerunner of the University of Amsterdam.

History of establishment

Amsterdam had established itself in the Golden Age of the Netherlands as a trading location and experienced after the uprising of 1578 against the Spanish king Philip II a period of recovery. After the fall of Antwerp grew up in Amsterdam, the world's largest port with its own fleet approach, which played a significant role in the world's oceans. This resulted again in the city itself a period of unprecedented prosperity. To fall in that time the foundation of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, and the founding of the Amsterdam Exchange Bank, which developed in Amsterdam as a major center of finance.

This also resulted in a huge population growth, the wealthy immigrants from many parts of Europe attracted. So at that time originated in the demographically expanding metropolis, in the context of the physical urbanization, the characteristic of the city of Amsterdam canals. Especially in the area of trade, science and art is reflected, this upturn. The increased demand for higher education was the Amsterdam city fathers decided in 1629 to found the Athenaeum Illustre.

As a location you chose a monastery founded in 1397 by Klarissennonnen which spiritual center after Saint Agnes of Rome as Agnetenkapelle ( Agnietenkapel ) was named. After a fire in 1452 the monastery on channel Oudezijds Voorburgwal was rebuilt in 1470. In the 16th century the monastery lost its religious significance and it came after a conversion in 1578 into the hands of the city. With the foundation 's decision of December 11, 1630 to build the Athenaeum Illustre, began again with the renovation of the building, what work had been completed in 1631. From the actual monastery during those phases of renovation remained only the Agnetenkapelle.

Foundation and meaning

With the establishment of the Amsterdam Athenaeum Illustre on January 8, 1632, the city fathers future university students intended to open the possibility the best possible preparedness to go to a university. Because up to that time had in Amsterdam only a Latin school there, who had trained up to the seventh grade. For the city fathers, the 13 -year-old graduates were too young for the rigorous university life. And so they opened the young people the opportunity to be able to after their training quickly and easily complete their studies, or to build a promising future through the acquisition of academic degrees.

You could the Leyden Professor Gerhard Johannes Vossius as a professor win for history, a utilitate in his opening speech De historiae talked about the benefit of history. A day later, on January 9, Caspar van Baerle spoke as a professor of philosophy in his inaugural speech Mercator sapiens sive oratio de conjugendis mercatuae et philosophiae studia ( freely translated: The Merchant educated about the links between trade and philosophy. ) Via the exchange ratio of study of philosophical sciences to trading. These two scholars to 1634 Martin Hortensius ( 1605-1639 ) joined as a professor of mathematics.

But other sciences were developed here. So in 1640 Joannes Cabeljauw ( 1600-1652 ) had begun professor of law and in 1660 was able to win with Gerardus Blasius ( 1625-1682 ) a representative of the medical sciences, the (now Binnengasthuis ) at St. Peter Hospital began his lectures. The latter in particular branch of science experienced with the anatomist Frederik Ruysch Nicolaes Tulp and some recovery. Iconographically give the images of the anatomical lectures a pretty good idea of ​​that time.

Anatomy Lecture at Frederik Ruysch

The Latin lectures were still held in the auditorium of Agnes Chapel in the initial phase of the Athenaeum, increased with increasing teachers and the spatial requirements of the educational institution. So held the professors in their lectures specially decorated private or assigned educational institutions. In addition to these educational directions also theological lectures, lectures on Greek and the Oriental languages ​​were included in the curriculum, but also the philosophical university basic subjects such as rhetoric and ethics had gained importance established. It also had an anatomical theater set up, in which the medical lectures were held in 1632 and already an increasingly growing library on the upper floor of the facility.

The spatial restriction of the educational institution remained until the 19th century, a relatively small institution with no more than eight teachers and about 250 students. However, this institution has emerged a number of major students, as the educational institution established as a kind of Dutch elite educational institution, which is a German gymnasium or lyceum comparable. At their graduations were not only just be performed at pre-university educational canon. After the Athenaeum Illustre in 1815 received State recognition as a higher education institution Agnetenkapelle fell into disrepair in the 19th century. The collection of the library had become so great that in 1860 the Amsterdam city council decided to give the Athanaeum a new hostel in the former Archer House ( Handboogdoelen ) where you began operations on October 1, 1862. 1877 learned the Athenaeum Illustre his last change, from him was the urban University of Amsterdam.

Major teachers at the school

  • Johannes_Burman
  • Burmann Pieter the Younger
  • Johannes Theodoor Buys
  • Peter Camper
  • Caspar Commelin
  • Hendrik Constantijn Cras
  • Peter Curtenius
  • Jan Willem Gunning
  • Adriaan Heynsius
  • Tiberius Hemsterhuis
  • Wessel Albertus van Hengel
  • Maarten van den Hove ( Martinus Hortensius )
  • January Gerrit Hulleman
  • Joan Melchior Kemper
  • David Jacob van Lennep
  • Jacques Philippe d' Orville
  • John Pell
  • Albertus Rusius
  • Albertus Rusius
  • Frederik Ruysch
  • Henry Albert Schultens
  • Jean Henri van Swinden
  • Herman Tollius
  • Gerardus Vrolik (1775-1859)
  • Diederik Adriaan Walraven (1732-1804)

Significant students

Pictures of Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam

Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam # Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam # Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam # Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam # Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam # Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam # Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam # Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam # Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam # Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam #
Dutch Golden Age Bank of Amsterdam Johannes Burman Petrus Camper Caspar Commelijn Martin van den Hove
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