Școala Centrală National College

School in Bucharest, Romania

44°26′37″N 26°06′19″E / 44.4436°N 26.1053°E / 44.4436; 26.1053InformationFunding typePublicEstablished19 March 1851StatusOpenCategoryPrimary school and high schoolPrincipalPopa Octavian-Lucian (since 2021)Grades0 to 12GenderCoeducationAge range6–19Enrolment1,462 (as of 2020)Average class size25LanguageRomanian, bilingual teaching in French and intensively in EnglishHours in school day5–7Campus typeUrbanNicknameCNȘC (formerly Zoia)AlumniVioleta Andrei, Agatha Bârsescu, Maria Cuțarida-Crătunescu, Cecilia Cuțescu-Storck, Zoe Dumitrescu-Bușulenga, Monica Ghiuță [ro], Ștefania Mărăcineanu, Maia Morgenstern, Andrei Păunescu [ro], Oana Pellea, Olga Tudorache [ro]^[1]Websitecnscb.ro

Școala Centrală National College (Romanian: Colegiul Național Școala Centrală; literally Central School, formerly Zoia Kosmodeminskaia or just Zoia) is an institution of pre-primary, primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary public education situated in Sector 2, Bucharest, Romania. It functioned along the passing of time under many other names, most notably Pensionatul Domnesc de Fete (i.e. 'The Royal Girls' Boarding School/Pension'). It serves schooling for the classes 0 to 12th grade, that is, from pre-primary school up to high school.

During the communist period, Școala Centrală was known as Zoia Kosmodeminskaia, a name which was ascribed to this educational institution for political reasons. After the 1989 Romanian Revolution, more specifically in 1994, the school's name was changed to Școala Centrală and bilingual French education was introduced for the classes with both humanist and exact sciences profiles pertaining to high school.

The school building, completed in 1890, is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.^[2] It was designed by Romanian architect Ion Mincu, renowned for developing the Romanian revival style (Romanian: Stilul Neo-Brâncovenesc).^[3]

Educational status

The Central School of Bucharest (Romanian: Școala Centrală, for short) is considered a good to very good high school in educational regards in Bucharest and nationwide in Romania, both in terms of the admission averages for high school as well as regarding the intellectual performances of the pupils at various national scholarly olympics and international contests as well.

Architectural style

The building is a masterpiece of neo-Romanian (also known as neo-Brâncovenesc) architecture, designed by Ion Mincu, being the second building erected in this style. Its beauty and prestige granted it the title of historical monument in the Romanian registry of historical monuments.

Other usage

In 1918, the building was used during the Austrian occupation of Bucharest throughout late World War I as the headquarters of the local post.^[4]

Gallery

Old photo of the inner courtyard
The exterior of the Central School of Bucharest, as seen in September 2012
One of the main hallways
One of the main hallways
Windows overlooking the inner courtyard
Towards the amphitheater
One of the entrances leading to the inner courtyard
Detail of a ceiling
Detail of a ceiling
Detail of a ceiling
Inside one of the classrooms
Inside one of the classrooms

References

^ "Foști elevi ai Școlii Centrale". www.cnscb.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 9 May 2021.
^ "Lista Monumentelor Istorice 2010: Municipiul București" [List of Historical Monuments 2010: Bucharest] (PDF) (in Romanian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-15.
^ "Istoria Colegiului Național Școala Centrală" [History of the Școala Centrală National College] (in Romanian).
^ Simona Ecovoiu (20 March 2005). "Pensionul de domnite" (in Romanian). Retrieved 17 December 2022.