History
The former Anavryta Classical Lyceum was an elite Greek lyceum (originally a boys-only boarding school) that was established in 1940, shortly before Greece's entry into World War II, in order to provide education to the members of the Greek royal family and notable Athenian families. It was reestablished after the war in 1949. Since 1971 the school was named a Lykeion Aristouhon which only admitted students who had distinguished themselves in other schools. After several educational reforms in Greece the school lost its elitist character in 1976, but continued to have higher admissions standards until the end of the 80's.
The Anavryta Classical Lyceum was originally based on the educational principles of Kurt Hahn, and modelled on Hahn’s own creations the Schule Schloss Salem and Gordonstoun. The effort to create an elite high school in Athens inspired by Hahn’s principles had originated from King George II of Greece following the tradition of the Greek royal family, members of which had attended Hahn schools. The effort was supported by the Greek academic society mainly because of the strong relationship of Hahn’s theories with ancient Greek philosophy. The main goal of the Lyceum was to focus on the pursuit of the Hahnian ideals and the study of Greek classics.
The fate of the lyceum was closely tied with the Greek royal family, but the only king of Greece who actually graduated from the lyceum was Constantine II, in the class of 1958. The abolition of the monarchy in 1974, following a seven-year military junta, removed that association.
Under circumstances that followed in the next years and especially in the 1980s it was increasingly difficult for a public school to maintain an elitist approach in Greece. Anavryta lost its exclusive character, but remained a school with a solid reputation for academic excellence. Eventually at the end of 1991-1992 the school was prohibited from setting absolutely any kind of admission standards and requirements. Thus the lyceum completely lost its original characteristics.
The Anavryta experiment ended mainly because of the hostility that the democratic Greek governments have shown to what was considered to be the reminder of the previous regime and the complete transformation of Greek society in the decades that followed. Nevertheless the importance of the lyceum and its educational role cannot be underestimated. The impressive alumni of the Classical lyceum shows distinguished members since generations of spiritual leaders, academics, spokesmen, businessmen, and other prominent members of the Greek society had graduated from the Classical lyceum in the decades following 1940.
Read more about this topic: Anavryta Experimental Lyceum
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