National Political Institutes of Education

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Library stamp of NPEA Vienna-Theresianum

National Political Institutes of Education (German: Nationalpolitische Erziehungsanstalten; officialy abbreviated NPEA, commonly abbreviated Napola for Nationalpolitische Lehranstalt meaning National Political Institution of Teaching) were secondary boarding schools in Nazi Germany. They were founded as "community education sites" after the National Socialist seizure of power in 1933.

The goal of the schools was to raise a new generation for the political, military, and administrative leadership of the Nazi state. Therefore, life at the NPEA's was dominated by military discipline.^[1] Only boys and girls considered to be "racially flawless" were admitted to the boarding schools. This meant that no children wearing glasses or with bad hearing were accepted. "Above-average intelligence" was also required, so that those looking to be admitted had to complete 8-day entrance exams.^[2] Life in boys' Napolas was often very competitive and frequently brutal. Approximately one fifth of all cadets washed out or were sent home because of injuries sustained in training accidents. The official descriptor (rank) of a Napola cadet was “Jungmann”, used similarly to the term “Cadet” in American military schools. Napola cadets were between 11 and 14 years of age.^{[citation needed]}

The percentage of Jungmänner who eventually entered the SS was much higher than in the general German population- 13% compared to 1.8%. ^[3] The National Socialist worldview was considered paramount in Napola education. A prominent belief among the cadets themselves was that of "Endsieg" or Final Victory. Many of them were utilized as child soldiers and met their deaths in the last months of the war.

[edit] School Locations

City	Official Title	Region	Date of founding	Building’s Former Use
Plön	NPEA Plön	Schleswig Holstein	1. May 1933	Stabila (abbr. Staatliche Bildungsanstalt/National Education Facility)
Potsdam	NPEA Potsdam	Mark Brandenburg	26. May 1933	Stabila
Köslin	NPEA Köslin	Pommern (Poland)	15. July 1933	Stabila
Berlin-Spandau	NPEA Berlin-Spandau	Berlin	30. January 1934	Prussian Academy for Gymnastics; school for teachers
Naumburg	NPEA Naumburg	Provinz Sachsen	15. March 1934	Stabila/Military school
Ilfeld	NPEA Ilfeld	Provinz Hannover/Provinz Sachsen	20. April 1934	Cloisters/Seminary
Wahlstatt	NPEA Wahlstatt	Schlesien (Poland)	9. April 1934	Stabila
Oranienstein	NPEA Oranienstein	Hessen-Nassau	1934	military school/Realgymnasium/Castle
Stuhm	NPEA Stuhm	Ostpreußen (Poland)	1. October 1934	Barracks
Ballenstedt	NPEA Anhalt	Anhalt	May 1934	City Gymnasium (secondary school)
Dresden Klotzsche	NPEA Dresden Klotzsche	Sachsen	1. April 1934	Landesschule
Backnang	NPEA Backnang	Württemberg	2. May 1934	Teacher Seminary
Bensberg	NPEA Bensberg	Rheinprovinz	1. June 1935	military school/Castle
Schulpforta	NPEA Schulpforta	Provinz Sachsen	1. July 1935	Landessschule zur Pforta (state school Pforta, currently "Landesschule Pforta" in Sachsen-Anhalt)
Rottweil	NPEA Rottweil	Württemberg	1. April 1936	Catholic Seminary
Neuzelle	NPEA Neuzelle	Mark Brandenburg	1934/1938	Abbey (Stift), Boarding school for girls
Wien-Theresianum	NPEA Wien-Theresianum	Wien (Austria)	13. March 1939	Academy
Wien-Breitensee	NPEA Wien-Breitensee	Wien (Austria)	13. March 1939	Austrian Federal School (Bundeserziehungsanstalt) (Kommandogebäude Theodor Körner part of the Breitensee Barracks in Vienna)
Traiskirchen	NPEA Traiskirchen	Niederdonau (Austria)	13. March 1939	Austrian Federal School (Bundeserziehungsanstalt)
Ploschkowitz	NPEA Sudetenland	Sudetenland (Czech Republic)	10. October 1940	Castle
Reisen	NPEA Wartheland	Warthegau (Poland)	1940	Castle
Loben	NPEA Loben	(Ost-) Oberschlesien (Poland)	1. April 1941	School for children with speech impediments
Putbus	NPEA Rügen	Pommern	1. September 1941	Pädagogium (Stift)
Reichenau	NPEA Reichenau	Baden	1941	Hospice
St. Wendel	NPEA St. Wendel	Saarland	1. September 1941	International School of the Steyler Mission
Weierhof b. Marnheim	NPEA am Donnersberg	Bayern (Saarpfalz)	1941	"Gau-Oberschule" (Reich regional secondary school?)
St. Paul/Lavanttal	NPEA Spanheim in Kärnten	Kärnten (Austria)	1941	Benedictine Abbey
Vorau	NPEA Gottweig	Steiermark (Austria)	Januar 1943	Augustine Abbey
Seckau	NPEA Seckau	Steiermark (Austria)	1941	Benedictine Abbey (Stift)
Rufach	NPEA Rufach	Elsaß (Frankreich)	Oktober 1940	Hospice
Haselünne	NPEA Emsland	Provinz Hannover	17. October 1941	Cloister/Seminary for the Ursuline Order
Neubeuern	NPEA Neubeuern	Bayern	May 1942	Castle and state boarding school
St. Veit	NPEA St. Veit	Kärnten (Austria)	July 1942	Catholic Seminary and Gymnasium
Mokritz	NPEA Mokritz	Steiermark (Austria)	1942	Castle
Achern	NPEA Achern	Baden	August 1943	The Illenau Sanatorium and Hospice
Kuttenberg (Kutna Hora)	NPEA Böhmen	(Protektorat) Czech Republic outside of Sudetenland	22. April 1944	Jesuit College and Barracks

The first three NPEA's were founded in 1933 by the Minister of Education Bernhard Rust in Plön, Potsdam, and Köslin. The schools responded directly to the Reich Ministry for Education, rather than to any states like regular schools. From 1936, the NPEA's were subordinated to the Inspector of the National Political Institutes of Education and SS Obergruppenführer August Heissmeyer. From 1939, they were part of the Hauptamt Dienststelle SS-Obergruppenführer Heißmeyer. Therewith the schools were under the direct influence of the SS and Heißmeier pressured teachers to join this organization. He also considered introducing uniforms and ranks similar to the SS among students and teachers. By 1941, there were a total of 30 NPEA's with 6,000 students enrolled in all of Nazi Germany. In 1942, there were 33 schools- 30 for boys and 3 for girls. By the end of the war 43 schools existed.

Well-known former students of National Political Institutes of Education include:

Lothar-Günther Buchheim (author and painter)
Jörg Andrees Elten (journalist)
Manfred Ewald (athletic official)
Alfred Herrhausen (businessman)
Horst Janssen (printmaker)
Hellmuth Karasek (journalist and author)
Hardy Krüger (actor)
Theo Sommer (journalist)
Rüdiger von Wechmar (diplomat)
Heinz Hitler (nephew of Adolf Hitler)

In 2004, Before the Fall, a film set in an NPEA, was released. It was directed by Dennis Gansel and starred Tom Schilling and Max Riemelt. Gansel's grandfather had been a former Napola student.