Abstract
<jats:p>The aim of the article is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the transformation of classical gymnasium education in Ternopil in 1919–1939, using the Juliusz Słowacki Gymnasium as a case study, taking into account the structural, educational-methodological, socio-cultural, and personnel aspects of its functioning. The methodological framework of the study is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, and systematicity, which make it possible to examine the transformation of gymnasium education in Ternopil within the context of the socio-political changes of the interwar period. A комплекс of general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, generalization) and special historical methods, including the historical-comparative, problem-chronological, and source-critical approaches, has been applied, enabling the reconstruction of the specific features of the functioning of the Juliusz Słowacki Gymnasium. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive coverage of transformational processes in the system of secondary education in Ternopil based on little-known archival sources, including matriculation (matura) examination protocols, “genealogies of graduates”, and personnel records of teachers. For the first time, the article offers a holistic reconstruction of the functioning of the gymnasium as a social institution that combined educational, upbringing, and state-building functions. It is demonstrated that the gymnasium served as an important mechanism of social mobility, ethno-confessional integration, and the formation of the intellectual elite of the region. The conclusions substantiate that the development of gymnasium education in Ternopil during the interwar period was characterized by a dual nature: on the one hand, the continuity of the classical гуманітарної (humanistic/classical) tradition was preserved; on the other hand, it underwent gradual modernization in accordance with state needs. The reform of 1932 became a turning point, leading to the transition toward differentiated and specialized education, strengthening state control, and increasing the ideological component of the educational process. It is established that the Juliusz Słowacki Gymnasium functioned as an important center for shaping a disciplined, state-loyal, and culturally integrated citizen, while simultaneously preserving elements of the region’s multinational and multi-confessional specificity. Keywords: Ternopil Voivodeship, gymnasium education, Juliusz Słowacki Gymnasium, Jędrzejewicz reform, interwar period.</jats:p>