From its founding on October 4th, 1895, until today, the Gymnasium has had only two aim houses: the Big Real building, and today's object in the street Zmaj Jovina , but, because of various misfortunes, the teachers and pupils had to use many others, buildings with mainly restricted conditions.
From the official opening until its own objects, that is, the first two and a half years, the Gymnasium was "subtenant" in previous ruzdia's house (Turkish: Muslim low gymnasium), and than on Mart 1st, 1898 moved in its own rooms.
Construction of the Big Real school, on a hill near barracks (today's market), begun just at a beginning of the school, on autumn 1895. Working with Austria's projects, Italian's masons, and domestic day laborers, Czech's entrepreneur Hipolit Pokorni in tree years made splendid two floors building, that is awing with its place and beauty all passerbyes, the next seven decades. It was pride of it's all tenants and inhabitants of the town.
The building was very contemporary supplied for that time: it had wealthy collections of models, exhibits, devices and other teaching aids, good libraries (teachers and pupils) and all other technical conditions for quality teaching. Rectangular, bright two floor building, which "merge the Renaissance style and the stile of it's time", had four classrooms at each floor, spacious and bright corridors and various small rooms and ? what is rarity of that time ? central heating.
On 1903 the building had finished off west wing, so it - if you consider eaves above back enter - had a shape of letter F in it's ground plan. The final form (letter E in ground plan), the Big Real school had in 1931, when, because of growing numbers of pupils, they must enlarged the second, east wing with ten classrooms more and an apartment for principal. It had been planed erection of gymnastics hall, but it never happened.
On December 1942 the building had been alienated of the pupils: it was occupied by German solders, so they had improvised teachings in mekteb (Muslim primary school) rooms, fire station, medresa (Muslim religion school), and in Ban's palace basement.
On September 1944 allies planes, targeting Ustashas (Croatia pro-fascist collaborators), they hit Gymnasium, destroyed it's roof and cabinet of physics. Because of that, after-war teachings had been maintained in Teachers school, former Citizens school, and in nun's building. Meanwhile, the old building was overhauled, so the teachings from 1947/48 school year to next about 20 years was performed in source object.
Catastrophic earthquake on October 26th and 27th, 1969 deadly wounded Gymnasium's building and destroyed equipment, archive, library and most of cabinets. Experts had estimated the building was so damaged that it must been demolished. The verdict, with sadness and tears of many Banjaluka inhabitants, was installed on January 31st 1970.
Decision of City Hall was that most of pupils, and teachers could been evacuated in Crikvenica , Novi Vinodolski and Selce (Croatia), were the school year was finished, and the caravan of unlucky come back to Banja Luka. The next school year (1970/71) began in carloads and barracks in front of primary school "Braca Pavlic" (today "Ivo Andric") and Technical school, and in rooms of Workers university. On December 1970 the Gymnasium immigrated in not-finished rooms of primary school in Borik (Banja Luka's territory), that had no power, nor water and sewerage sistem.
Meanwhile, as a gift from town Sarajevo to Banja Luka, it was built a new Gymnasium building on second location, in Zmaj Jovina street. Modern object made by red bricks and reinforced concrete - with 21 classrooms, reading room, library, room for physical trainings and other necessary rooms - was built until December 1971, and solemnly started on January 15th, 1972. Although it was expected that the building had to have one floor more, until today (2001) it was not achived.
by: Zoran Pejašinovic, history teacher