     Inowrocław's landscape is presently losing one of the buildings which has engraved itself in the
undoubtedly rich history of the salt town. The school building was built in 1886 at the building site bought
by the town from Józef Dylewski for 100,000 marks. Now, after 120 years of honourable service for the
town, the building ceases to exist. The building which has always served educational purposes is put down
to pieces due to education system reform, free market rules and unfavourable and unreasonable decisions of
town s authorities.

Primary School No 3 of the name of Stanisław Staszic finished its work with the last bell on 25th June 2004.
After 118 years of its activity the building is retiring. The building which has been known widely as "three"
and grown deeply into the town s landscape (     , to the right     ) and inhabitants' hearts. Deserted building
waited two years for its new destination. In 2006 a private investor bought the building and the surrounding
grounds (     ) . The structure however lost its beautiful (     ) Neo-gothic architectural traits after it had been
used for many years as the place of educating generations of Inowrocław's inhabitants which, in
a turn, demanded many renovations, extensions and changing the original structure (     ). Because of that,
it has never been listed as a building under legal protection of monuments' conservator and this is why it
can be easily and legally pulled down. The place which educated many young people   Poles, Germans, Jews
and others is vanishing from Inowrocław's landscape (     ,     ,     ,     ).

     The story of the building, which we will try to describe shortly, started in 1833 when the town bought a
big site in GeorgenStrasse (George's Street) and started building a new school. After 3 years builders  efforts
turned successful and in 1886 the first school year was started in Georgenschule (George's school). The
name of the school was connected with the name of the street in which it was built (     ). Built in Neo-gothic
style of yellow brick the building became a representative sight of Inowrocław (     ). No wonder that the
beautiful hall housed the sittings of Town s Council (from 1886 till 1905, the first meeting was on 16th
September 1886     ). Wide participation of Poles within the Council positively influenced the life of Polish
people in Inowrocław who for more than 100 years had struggled with the terror of Prussian invader. In that
period Knaben - Simultanschule (multi-religion school as it was also called) educated young inhabitants of
Polish Catholic, German Protestant and Jewish origin and faith. The official name of the school was I
Stadtschule (First Town's School) and it was used till January 1919 when the town regained independence
after victorious Wielkopolskie Uprising. The school educated only boys from Inowrocław and neighbouring
area.

     In its rich history the school was mostly famous for the school strike which began in 1906 as a symbol of
Polish language protection. On 17th September 1906 Marian Kasprzak - a first-form pupil during his RI
lesson protested against using German language for prayer. German language was a language of instruction
in most subjects in all schools in Prussian annexation territory. However here, the germanization of young
Poles was not successful. Love for their mother tongue, patriotism and attachment to the Polish roots gave
the start to the general strike in other town's educational institutions where Poles learnt. Prussians, in order
to quench the resistance used arrest and whipping. It only made the Polish resistance bigger and stronger
and it lasted up to June 1907. In 1904 the name of the town was changed from Hohensalza to Inowrocław.
Unbreakable stamina of Poles caused heavy persecution of pupils, their parents, teachers, school employees
as well as printing house workers who supported the striking ones printing proclamations and appeals to be
read and distributed during public meetings and rallies. The strike originating in I Town's School was one of
the most significant events of the fight for preservation of Polish values, language and character in the area.