Boarding schools for male youth in Polish lands at the turn of the 18th and 19th cnturies

Among the schools operating in the Old Polish era, boarding schools, or institutions that accepted children and youth for education and accommodation, began to appear from the 18th century. These institutions were separate for girls and boys. This text is dedicated to the latter. Chronologically, it covers the period of the decline of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the reforms of the Commission of National Education, the beginnings of the partitions, and the era of the Duchy of Warsaw. Various sources have been used, including diaries, regulations of the Commission of National Education and the Educational Chamber, and announcements in the “Gazeta Warszawska.” This type of educational and upbringing institution for boys has not yet attracted special interest from researchers of Old Polish education history. These were usually small, often short-lived institutions. They accepted few students, who were cared for by the person running the boarding school, assisted by directors, teachers, and servants. Because for a long time they were not subject to any regulations, they were established and run by individuals without the necessary qualifications. As a result, they were often criticized in various writings, and parents were discouraged from sending their children to them. The situation changed somewhat when the Commission of National Education issued regulations to organize their functioning, which continued in the later period. Among boarding schools for boys, two types can be distinguished. The first type were schools with boarding facilities, where the students both studied and lived together under the supervision of the boarding school owner. The second type were those where students lived but studied in separate schools.