National Political Institutes of Education

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National Political Institutes of Education
Library stamp of NPEA Vienna-Theresianum
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.
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]
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 18 years of age.
The percentage of Jungmannen (Plural of "Jungmann") 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.
The first three NPEA's were founded in 1933 by the Minister of Education Bernhard Rust in Pln, Potsdam, and
Kslin. 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 Obergruppenfhrer August Heissmeyer. From 1939, they were part of the Hauptamt Dienststelle
SS-Obergruppenfhrer Heimeyer. Therewith the schools were under the direct influence of the SS and Heimeier
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.
School Locations
National Political Institutes of Education
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City Official Title Region Date of
founding
Buildings Former Use
Pln NPEA Pln Schleswig-Holstein 1. May
1933
Stabila (abbr. Staatliche Bildungsanstalt/National
Education Facility)
Potsdam NPEA Potsdam Mark Brandenburg 26. May
1933
Stabila
Kslin NPEA Kslin 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)
Sonnenstein castle Adolf Hitler Schule Gau Saxony September
1942
Action T4 hospice
[4]
Dresden Klotzsche NPEA Dresden
Klotzsche
Saxony 1. April
1934
Landesschule
Backnang NPEA Backnang Wrttemberg 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 Wrttemberg 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)
(Kommandogebude Theodor Krner 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
National Political Institutes of Education
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Loben NPEA Loben (East-) Upper Silesia (Today
Poland)
1. April
1941
School for children with speech impediments
Putbus NPEA Rgen Pomerania 1.
September
1941
Pdagogium (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
Krnten
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
Haselnne 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 Bhmen (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:
Lothar-Gnther Buchheim (author and painter)
Heinz Drr (businessman)
Jrg Andrees Elten (journalist)
Manfred Ewald (athletic official)
Alfred Herrhausen (businessman)
Horst Janssen (printmaker)
Hellmuth Karasek (journalist and author)
Hardy Krger (actor)
Johannes Poeppel (general)
Theo Sommer (journalist)
Rdiger von Wechmar (diplomat)
Heinz Hitler (nephew of Adolf Hitler)
National Political Institutes of Education
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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 (http:/ / www. shoa. de/ content/ view/ 305/ 389/ ) in
shoa.de. Retrieved October 1, 2006.
[2] Nationalpolitische Erziehungsanstalten (http:/ / www.aeiou. at/ aeiou. encyclop. n/ n112244. htm;internal& action=_setlanguage.
action?LANGUAGE=en) in Austrian Lexicon. Retrieved October 1, 2006.
[3] Die Elite-Schule der Nazis (http:/ / www.abendblatt.de/ daten/ 2005/ 01/ 13/ 386523. html)
[4] http:/ / www. aktion-zivilcourage.de/ Archiv_Angebot_fuer_Schulen_Zeitzeugengespraeche_zur_Adolf-Hitler-Schule_Pirna_. 493d3205/
Notes
This article incorporates information from the revision as of October 1, 2006 of the equivalent article on the
German Wikipedia.
External links
Hitler Youth Forum (http:/ / www. hitlerjugend. net)
Article Sources and Contributors
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Article Sources and Contributors
National Political Institutes of Education Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=379836158 Contributors: Andrewpmk, Bobrayner, Carabinieri, Darwinek, Ekem, EliasAlucard,
Glennscr, Gregmg, HJF2, HerkusMonte, J-beda, Kusma, NPEA Reichenau, Perebourne, RCS, Refdoc, Rjwilmsi, Valentinian, 16 anonymous edits
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
Image:Napola.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Napola.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Original uploader was Antitotalitarium at de.wikipedia
License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
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