Cieszyńska "Alma Mater" w procesie integracji międzywyznaniowej

Abstract

The thought of divisions between people is unknown to the university tradition. Thus, university and integration form one historical process. Cieszyn Silesia has been connected to this process for almost five hundred years. Cieszyn has been associated with well-known science and culture centres (Kraków, Ołomuniec, Wiedeń, Lwów) since the 15th century. The education at different levels has been developing intensively since then. The changes in the education system in the 19th century Habsburg monarchy and restoration of the Polish national movement in the Duchy of Cieszyn allowed for opening the first Polish secondary school in Cieszyn Silesia, i.e. the Polish Private Junior High School in 1895. Polish Teacher College training the teachers to be was opened in 1911 in Cieszyn Silesia. It became the “real national breeding ground in Cieszyn Silesia. Spiritual education realized during different services in the college chapel played an important role in it. Although it was a one religion (Roman-Catholic) chapel at that time, it integrated an academic circle. Higher Teacher School — the branch at the University of Silesia was founded in 1971. Two didactic units, i.e. The Artistic Faculty and International School the Sciences of Education were distinguished in the 2002/2003 academic year. Subsequent changes took place the next academic year (2003/2004) when the Department of Ethnology and Sciences of Education replaced the International School the Sciences of Education. A rich tradition of the town by the Olza River allows for naming the university in Cieszyn as Alma Mater. On May 12th 1998 the ecumenical chapel was blessed in the branch of the University of Silesia. It is the only Polish ecumenic chapel in the state university. Before theological faculties were created by the universities in Poland, the new specialty, i.e. religious education of a Catholic and Evangelic type was opened in the field of pedagogy in Cieszyn Alma Mater as early as in the 1998/1999 academic year. The very studies train the catechists to be both with respect to the Catholic and Evangelic Church.