National Political Institutes of Education

National Political Institutes of Education (German: Nationalpolitische Erziehungsanstalten; officially 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.

Contents

Overview

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 with poor hearing or vision were accepted. "Above-average intelligence" was also required, so that those looking to be admitted had to complete 8-day entrance exams.[2] The official descriptor (rank) of a Napola cadet was “Jungmann” (plural "Jungmannen"), used similarly to the term “Cadet” in military schools in other countries. Napola cadets were between 11 and 18 years of age.

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 percentage of Jungmannen who eventually entered the SS was 13%, much higher than the 1.8% in the general German population.[3] The National Socialist world view 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 were killed in the last months of the war.

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 state 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 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 there were 43 schools.

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

Pomerania (Today Poland)

15. July 1933

Stabila

Berlin-Spandau

NPEA Berlin-Spandau

Berlin

30 January 1934

Prussian Academy for Gymnastics; school for teachers

Naumburg

NPEA Naumburg

Prussian Province of Saxony

15. March 1934

Stabila/Military school

Ilfeld

NPEA Ilfeld

Prussian province of Hanover/Prussian Province of Saxony

20. April 1934

Cloisters/Seminary

Wahlstatt

NPEA Wahlstatt

Silesia (Today Poland)

9. April 1934

Stabila

Oranienstein

NPEA Oranienstein

Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau

1934

military school/Realgymnasium/Castle

Stuhm

NPEA Stuhm

East Prussia

(Today Poland)

1. October 1934

Barracks

Ballenstedt

NPEA Anhalt

Anhalt

May 1934

City Gymnasium (secondary school)

Dresden Klotzsche

NPEA Dresden Klotzsche

Saxony

1. April 1934

Landesschule

Backnang

NPEA Backnang

Württemberg

2. May 1934

Teacher Seminary

Bensberg

NPEA Bensberg

Prussian Rhine Province

1. June 1935

military school/Castle

Schulpforta

NPEA Schulpforta

Prussian Province of Saxony

1. July 1935

Landesschule zu Pforta (state school Pforta, currently "Landesschule Pforta" in Saxony-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

Vienna

(Austria)

13. March 1939

Academy

Wien-Breitensee

NPEA Wien-Breitensee

Vienna

(Austria)

13. March 1939

Austrian Federal School (Bundeserziehungsanstalt) (Kommandogebäude Theodor Körner part of the Breitensee Barracks in Vienna)

Traiskirchen

NPEA Traiskirchen

Lower Danube

(Austria)

13. March 1939

Austrian Federal School (Bundeserziehungsanstalt)

Ploschkowitz

NPEA Sudetenland

Sudetenland

(Today Czech Republic)

10. October 1940

Castle

Reisen

NPEA Wartheland

Warthegau (Today Poland)

1940

Polish boarding school for boys in Rydzyna Castle

Loben

NPEA Loben

(East-) Upper Silesia (Today Poland)

1. April 1941

School for children with speech impediments

Putbus

NPEA Rügen

Pomerania

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

Bavaria (Saar Palatinate)

1941

"Gau-Oberschule" (Reich regional secondary school?)

St. Paul/Lavanttal

NPEA Spanheim in Kärnten

Carinthia (Austria)

1941

Benedictine Abbey

Vorau

NPEA Gottweig

Styria (Austria)

January 1943

Augustine Abbey

Seckau

NPEA Seckau

Styria (Austria)

1941

Benedictine Abbey (Stift)

Rufach

NPEA Rufach

Alsace (Today France)

Oktober 1940

Hospice

Haselünne

NPEA Emsland

Prussian province of Hanover

17. October 1941

Cloister/Seminary for the Ursuline Order

Neubeuern

NPEA Neubeuern

Bavaria

May 1942

Castle and state boarding school

St. Veit

NPEA St. Veit

Carinthia (Austria)

July 1942

Catholic Seminary and Gymnasium

Mokritz

NPEA Mokritz

Styria (Austria)

1942

Castle

Achern

NPEA Achern

Baden

August 1943

The Illenau Sanatorium and Hospice

Kuttenberg (Kutna Hora)

NPEA Böhmen

(Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia) Czech Republic outside of Sudetenland

22. April 1944

Jesuit College and Barracks

Well-known former students

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

Movie

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

References

  1. ^ (German)Kleinhans, Bernd:Das Erbe der NAPOLA - von Christian Schneider in shoa.de. Retrieved October 1, 2006.
  2. ^ Nationalpolitische Erziehungsanstalten in Austrian Lexicon. Retrieved October 1, 2006.
  3. ^ Die Elite-Schule der Nazis

Notes

This article incorporates information from the revision as of October 1, 2006 of the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.

External links