School History

In 1909. the tsarist government’s ministry of education, located in St. Petersburg, turned to the curator of Riga’s learning community represented by S. M. Putšenko with a request to identify the places where to build schools for the preparation of teachers. The proposed locations were Narva and Rakvere. However, the territory of Narva was not suitable for Riga’s learning community. On the 29th of March in 1910 Rakvere City council allocated 4 dessiatines of land for the future educational institution for free. The first assigned director was Riga’s first district’s school inspector Aleksander Vassiljevitš Orlovski. Up until the new buildings were constructed the Stroinovski house located on Tartu street was rented, where on the 23th of October 1912 the school was blessed and teaching began in Russian language with 30 selected young men.

A new school project was finished at the same time by A. Gieselbaschi Rigas learning community architect. School complex consisted of three buildings.

•  In the centre a three-storey building with its’ church, assembly hall, dining room, dormitory and gym;
• On the right a two-storey teachers dwelling with storerooms, sauna and laundry room;
• On the left a two-storey building for principals’ living rooms, on the second floor an insulator and few workers apartments;
• A cellar, carriage shed, stables and a workshop were planned on the yard;
• A beautiful park was planned around the buildings.
• Construction works began in autumn 1913. a credit of 131 328 rubles was received for the construction.
• The cornerstone for the new academic institution was put in place ceremonially on the 22th of Mai in 1914.
• On the first of August in 1914 the main buildings’ restconstruction was completed and internal work began along with the outhouse buildings’ constructions.
• By autumn 1915 all three buildings were finished.
  
   

Photo: School’s main building, which became one of the most perfect schoolhouses in the Tsarist – Russia

Assembly hall-church was especially beautiful. On the both ends of the assembly hall were large doors reaching from floor to ceiling. When the doors on the right were opened, the golden orthodox altar with saints’ images became visible. The doors on the left side however led to a classroom, on which expense the assembly hall could be increased if necessary.

Photo: Teachers in the assembly hall in autumn 1916.

The assembly hall ceiling had a large three-ring formation chandelier. The help of Rigas painters and artists were used in the finalization of the Hall. The emperors’ picture was drawn under the guidance of K.Schnell-Meriladi by his students Martin Laarmann and Arnold Akberg.

 Photo: Estonian language exam 20.05.1932

The main building had a perfect central heating system, which was to provide heat. Water, steam and air heating systems were combined. The boiler room was located in the basement where one furnace heated the water system. Radiator heat was considered to be too dry and have a bad effect on inhalation. To avoid that, air central heating system pressured moist air to the rooms, which was collected from small chambers that had low sheet iron tubs filled with water and constantly heated. Clean air was obtained directly from the silk cloth strainers field. This way the humid air was pushed through the wall flues into the classrooms.

Besides the furnaces, the basement had a strong engine that pumped water from the well and powered the electric dynamo. This was the first power station in Rakvere, because everything in the schoolhouse was done with a lot of thought and planning.

Photo: Long white corridors

Photo: Workout class in 1913

Photo: Rakveres Theachers Seminar in 1922.

Principals:

Photo: Principal Voldemar Raam in this working office

On the first of August in 1932 the seminar was liquidated and the buildings were given to the possession of the defence forces.

Rakvere Pedagogical School

Principals:

Rakvere Boarding School

Rakvere Sanatoric Forest School

Rakvere Vocational School

Rakvere Vocational School (since 2008)

Principals: