Athénée de Luxembourg

On 15 May 1585, Pope Sixtus V signed a Papal bull granting the Jesuit Order the right to establish a school in Luxembourg.[1] The school was eventually founded in 1603 by the Jesuit Order,[2][3] and was located next to the Notre Dame Cathedral, in the Ville Haute quarter. It was modeled after the Jesuit school in Trier. The school flourished and in 1684 it was expanded.[4] After the Suppression of the Society of Jesus by Pope Clement XIV in 1773, the school was renamed as the Collège royal,[5] and was put under auspices of the clergy. Furthermore, the school's curriculum was reformed and expanded.

The Athénée de Luxembourg in 1828

In the course of the French Revolution and the political changes that followed, notably the Napoleon Regime, the school was reorganized according to French educational systems and renamed several times: École centrale (1795-1802), École Secondaire (1802-1808), Collège municipal (1808-1817). In 1817, the school was renamed "Athénée royal grand-ducal". To commemorate this event, a chronogram ATHENAEVM SIT LVCELBVRGI DECOR (=1817) was placed on the backside of a portal at the school's old premises. In the course of the 19th century, the curriculum was expanded and modernized.[6]

When Luxembourg was occupied by Nazi forces in World War II in 1940, the school was forcibly Germanized, renamed as Gymnasium mit Oberschule für Jungen, and the French language was forbidden. These policies were met with considerable resistance. Infamously, when the Germans dismantled the Gëlle Fra memorial, several hundred of the school's students protested. Two Professors and 76 students of the Athénéé lost their lives during the war.[7]

After the Second World War, the school's premises became too small, and the school was relocated in 1964 to the Hollerich quarter, in the south-west of the city. Since the Athénée moved to this location, other schools have moved to the site as well, creating Campus Geesseknäppchen, just to the north of the terminus of the A4 motorway. The old site of the city Athenaeum currently hosts the National Library.

In 2003, the school celebrated its 400th anniversary with a series of events and the publication of a four-volume study of the school's rich history. The school's official motto is 'Tradition & Innovation', a phrase that the reflects the institution's continuous emphasis on scholarly excellence, the respect of humanist traditions and the desire to stay innovative.

Since 2007, Joseph Salentiny is the principal of the 'Athénée de Luxembourg'. Since 2012, temporary buildings were built in the school's court to accommodate the students while the existing premises are undergoing renovation works. The renovations cost 89 million euros, and was completed in late 2016.[8][9]

In 2010, the Athénée de Luxembourg gained the status of an IB World School, and henceforth, includes an International Baccalaureate program.[12] [13]

The school adopted a charter outlining its educational guidelines and principles. The sharer is built on the principle of "a good possession for all time", a quote borrowed from Thucydides.[14] The charter consists of twelve principles:

• Humanism and world openness
• A critical and scientific mind
• A taste for performance and joy of living
• Ambition to succeed and respect for others
• Competition and solidarity
• Personal engagement and tolerance
• Communal conscience and self-fulfillment
• Responsibility and friendliness
• Discipline and flexibility
• Physical balance and intellectual enthusiasm
• Creativity and endurance
• Know how and life skills

Kolléisch in Concert is a series of concerts that have been organised at the school since 1981. Each year, the concerts take place before the Easter Holidays. The music is primarily performed by the students of the F Section (music).

annALes de l'Athénée de Luxembourg is an annual publication chronicling that year's events at the school as well as containing essays relating to the schools or its alumni. The series has been published since 2008 and contains articles written in French, German, English and Luxembourgish.[15]

Éischt Hëllef Team Kolléisch (EHTK) (First Aid Team of the Athénée) is a first aid group run by students of the school. The EHTK was founded in 1998, and in collaboration with the Luxembourgish Red Cross, first aid courses are offered to students. The EHTK works on health and safety aspects within the school community. In 2015, Prince Guillaume handed the Luxembourgish Youth Award (Prix du Mérite Jeunesse) to the EHTK. Other schools in Luxembourg have emulated the EHTK project.

The "Latein auf Stein" (lit: Latin on Stone) is a project that aims to register and interpret all Latin inscriptions and chronograms in Luxembourg.[16] Several schools in Germany have similar projects.

• Léon Bollendorff, philologist and President of Chamber of Deputies.
• Michel Engels, painter.
• François-Xavier de Feller, author.
• Jean-Baptiste Fresez, painter.
• Joseph Kohnen, writer.
• Laurent Menager, composer and conductor.
• Alain Meyer, French teacher and President of Luxembourg's Council of State.