IIIrd HIGH SCHOOL

The building, which now houses the Third High School, was built in the 1890s to a design by Hilary Majewski, and was founded by, among others, Lodz's cotton king, Karol Scheibler. At the time, it housed a Russian male gymnasium. During World War I, the gymnasium building became a place for the formation of Lodz subdivisions of the Polish Legions. When Jozef Pilsudski became the school's patron in 1921, his portrait was painted over an earlier image of Czar Nicholas I. The student symbol in those days was a gray cap, the so-called maciejówka. Graduating students broke its visor and stitched upside down the MG stamp in a laurel wreath (Male Gymnasium). After World War II, the school gained a new patron - Tadeusz Kosciuszko - and a new name: the III General Primary and High School. It was not until the 1950s that "Three" became a co-educational school, and in the 1960s the high school and elementary grades were separated. The high school can boast a whole list of outstanding graduates. Among them are the poet Julian Tuwim, lawyer and diplomat Jan Karski, actor and director Jan Machulski, writer, author of the book series "Adventures of Mr. Samochodzik" - Zbigniew Nienacki, or the creator of Krakow's "Piwnica pod baranami" Piotr Skrzynecki.

More then life at stake

dir. Janusz Morgenstern, Andrzej Konic, 1968

The school building, or rather the square in front of it, appears in the 9th episode of the TV series "More then life at stake", directed by Janusz Morgenstern. For the purposes of this production, the 3rd High School became the headquarters of German intelligence. In a conversation with his superior, Major Horst (played by Tadeusz Schmidt), Hans Kloss (Stanislaw Mikulski) learns that he has been placed at the disposal of Colonel Kraft. Horst assures Kloss that this is a kind of honor for him, and that one generally comes out of Colonel Kraft's Abwehr school with a promotion. Kloss seems a bit taken aback, as he doesn't know what purpose such a move serves or what his task will be. He accepts the order and part ways with his superior in good spirits. He leaves the intelligence headquarters - this is where we can see the facade of the Third High School - gets into a rickshaw driven by Tadek (played by Jan Englert), a member of the conspiracy network, and together they head to its headquarters.

You can read more about the film here.