HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL
wHY Ceramic school in BECHYNĚ?
The tradition of the ceramic production in Bechyně dates back to the 16th century. In the middle of the 19th century there were new professionals coming into the town; owing to them the crafts as pottery and stove-making have been mostly cultivated. As a result, the quality of materials, many years of tradition and the interest for the development of the Czech professional education led to the establishment of a secondary ceramic professional school of Bechyně in 1884. At the beginning the studies took three years and until 1910 only men could study there. The Art Nouveau period (1900-1914) and the era of 20s and 30s (i.e. when the school succeeded in various international exhibitions) are regarded as one of the most prominent eras of the school. After the WWII a significant reorganisation of the study fields has taken place.
The most important milestones in the history of the school:
1951 change into a four-year study with maturita leaving examination, first extension of the school
1954 technology of ceramics (first introduced; not taught any more)
1973 built a new boarding residence house
1984 applied chemistry (first introduced; not taught any more)
2000 industrial design/ formation of industrial products (first introduced)
2006 graphic design/ promotional graphics/design (first introduced)
2009 multimedia design/creation (first introduced)
2013 producer and decorator of ceramics (a new thee-year vocational study field first introduced), in cooperation with LAUFEN CZ Ltd.
In connection with the introduction of non-ceramic study fields, the school has also changed its name, since 2009 it is called the Secondary School of Arts and Crafts – Bechyně. The aim of the school is the same, though, as 100 years ago: to educate creative graduates with broaden minds who would not get lost in the world.
