School bell

The pre-war brass bell decorated with straight round bars was used to announce the beginning or end of school classes. It was found in the 1970s near the building of Secondary School No. 2 located at 2 Henryka Pobożnego street (German Schlutowstrasse), where the Neues Marienstiftsgymnasium was once located. Königliches Marienstiftsgymnasium was the oldest primary school in Szczecin, continuing the tradition of the Fürstliches Pedagogium (Princely Pedagogy) operating in 1543–1667. Originally the institution was located on Grodzka Street (Mönchenstraße), and since 1832 at Marienplatz 1 (now 1 Mariacki square) at the site of the burnt Marian church. Despite the expansion of this building in the 1880s, the school quickly began to lack rooms, so in 1915 the high school moved to a newly built, large and comfortable building at Schlutowstrasse. The graduates of this school included many prominent people from Szczecin which held various public functions. During the interwar period, at 1 Marienplatz there was a Szczecin radio station, the ballet of the nearby Municipal Theatre, firefighters, and the Nazi youth organization Hitlerjugend. After World War II both the old and new buildings of the former Mariatsky High School were restored to their former educational functions. Elementary School No. 40 began to operate on 1 Mariacki square, and soon thereafter General Secondary School No. 2, which since 1984 has been named after the Heroes of Monte Cassino. In turn, at Henryka Pobożnego Street, the Mieszka I General High School No. 2 was opened, which was initially a school for boys, quickly transformed into a co-educational institution. The presented bell comes from the "Pobożniaka" [Pious] building, as the high school at Henryka Pobożnego street is commonly known as today. Agnieszka Kuchcińska-Kurcz