ZNAČENJE ŠKOLSKIH VRTOVA U SJEVERNOJ HRVATSKOJ U VRIJEME AUSTRO-UGARSKE MONARHIJE
MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL GARDENS IN NORTHERN CROATIA DURING THE AUSTRO -HUNGARIAN MONARCHY

Summary/Abstract: Today the school gardens, beside city gardens raise the attention and are regarded because they bring children and citizens closer to nature. Every year since 1996 there is competition for the most beautiful school garden and many schools in north and south Croatia won the title, although those gardens are often specialized and cultivate a variety of plants. Within Croatian educational system the school gardens are treated as the student’s farm. But they are more than that. It is where the students learn to cultivate and preserve autochthonous / traditional sorts, some forgotten ones such as pyrethrum in Kašet Sućurac, mulberry in Sibinj and many others endanger sorts of trees. Many primary and high schools created authentic botanical gardens and thus make a certain profit beside they receive a support of Croatian Ministry of Science and education. Some of them even receive the professional support from Croatian Botanical Society, specifically from the section of Croatian botanical gardens and arboretums, but also from other professionals and botanists. The most diligent among them is the Agricultural school in Vinica, near Varaždin. The school gardens have the multiple purposes. It can be esthetical, for the embellishment of the environment and educative as well for they offer a better insight and knowledge about nature and flora. They can be a space where children socialize, play games and do practice. It is not negligible their ecological function as a protection of unpolluted species and old or endangered species of flora. The school gardens are the legacy of a new era, but their development is based on fostering of ancient church gardens, as well as the royal and aristocratic gardens in the Age of Enlightenment. The »Dalmatian Academies« are the examples of such endeavor. Simultaneously with the regulation on children obligatory education, Empress Maria Theresa had determined in 1774 that the children had to be educated in the matters of economy. This policy continued in the first half of 19th century thus in 1816 the regulation passed on the school gardens. The first known school garden, mentioned by the school historian Antun Cuvaj, was in Vrbovec in 1840. The Croatian-Slavonic Economic Society was funded in 1841 and under its tutorship in the Society`s affiliates was encouraged school gardening, and silkworms breeding especially the later because it required many hands and lots of space and those had only schools and military institutions. During the second half of the 19th century and the raise of civil society great number of schools was built. Ban Josip Šokčević, originally from Vinkovci, in Slavonia (the region known for extensive agriculture in Croatia) passed one more regulation on obligatory school gardening, apiculture/beekeeping and silkworms breeding. The first course books were published on this matter, such as for example Josip Partaš`s Poučnik vrtlarstvu i pčelarstvu za porabu početnih seoskih učionah / The manual for Gardening and Beekeeping for Primary Schools in Country, Wien 1860. The school supervisors had obligation beside their regular work to monitor school gardens as an important educational tool in agricultural environments and their observations were published in the school annuals. Thus there are numerous records on the school gardening in Croatia from this period. However, when the Habsburg Monarchy was transformed into the Austria-Hungarian Dual Monarchy in 1867, the northern Croatia and Slavonia was placed under Hungarian and Dalmatia and Istria under Austrian jurisdiction. Although bisected and exposed to divisions and limitations the first and only school of agriculture in southeast Europe was founded in Križevci in 1869. The great Croatian reformist, ban Ivan Mažuranić reformed the educational system as well. Until then the schools were under the church jurisdiction and he subordinated them to Country Government. It is believed that the educational system thus grew with more quality. In October 14th 1874 Mažuranić passed the new law on education and in each subcounty he appointed the school supervisors who supervised the schools and counseled teachers on school gardening. Franjo Klaić published the translation of Erasmo Schwab`s School garden in Zagreb in 1877. Although the book was not officially approved for use in schools Mažuranić disobeyed the Country Government Education Council and distributed the book to schools. Mažuranić closely monitored the work of school gardens and journals Napredak / The Progress and Školski vrt / The School garden have published numerous articles on vegetable cultures. Gospodarski list / Economic Newspaper, as a bulletin of The Croatian-Slavonic Economic Society, which until 1892 leads Farkaš Vukotinović gives helpful suggestions for small farms. Very popular were the articles of Vilim Švelec, the vicar from Martinska Ves, the manual for planting the crops written by Mijat Stojanović, the school teacher who worked in Sriem and Senj, and the manual on viticulture by Stražimir, the vicar from Zelina. It is interesting that in the school gardens vines were not planted but students learned grafting fruit trees and grape. Obviously it was a precautionary measure and protection from the harmful effects of alcohol. The agriculture and especially the gardening require great attention and constant work. Many school gardens were planed and created but were not maintained therefore Mažuranić brought a new regulation in 1878 which allowed teachers to keep the half of income garden brought if he maintains the garden with the students. This has given new impetus to school gardening and school supervisor and landowner Janko Bedeković published instructions »Kako da se urede školski vrtovi / How to organize the school gardens,« suggesting first to draw a plan and then in consultation with experts to plant the cultures adapted to the climate. The positive effects were visible very soon which encouraged the vegetable and fruit growing and beekeeping in school gardens. Although limited due to official state policy towards the periphery of the Monarchy, Croatia has still managed to raise and maintain a large number of school gardens. Until 1914 almost every school had its garden and those were pride of every school principle who became promoters of gardening. Although the fate of the school gardens was later very different and many have experienced the devastation and were turned into construction sites or pastures, though some school gardens have survived the entire twentieth century, gaining now in the 21st century new impetus and importance.

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