National Political Institutes of Education

National Political Institutes of Education (; 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.Kleinhans, Bernd:Das Erbe der NAPOLA - von Christian Schneider in shoa.de. Retrieved October 1, 2006. 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.Nationalpolitische Erziehungsanstalten in Austrian Lexicon. Retrieved October 1, 2006. 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%.Die Elite-Schule der Nazis 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 Plön, Potsdam, and Köslin. 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 Obergruppenführer August Heissmeyer. From 1939, they were part of the Hauptamt Dienststelle SS-Obergruppenführer Heißmeyer. Therewith the schools were under the direct influence of the SS and Heißmeier 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==
 
 
 City
 Official Title
 Region
 Date of founding
 Building’s Former Use
 
 
 
Plön
 
NPEA Plön
 
Schleswig-Holstein
 
1. May 1933
 
Stabila (abbr. Staatliche Bildungsanstalt/National Education Facility)
 
 
Potsdam
 
NPEA Potsdam
 
Mark Brandenburg
 
26. May 1933
 
Stabila
 
Köslin
 
NPEA Köslin
 
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 hospicehttp://www.aktion-zivilcourage.de/Archiv_Angebot_fuer_Schulen_Zeitzeugengespraeche_zur_Adolf-Hitler-Schule_Pirna_.493d3205/
 
Dresden Klotzsche
 
 
NPEA Dresden Klotzsche
 
 
Saxony
 
 
1. April 1934
 
 
Landesschule
 
 
 
 
Backnang
 
 
NPEA Backnang
 
 
Württemberg
 
 
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
 
 
Württemberg
 
 
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) (Kommandogebäude Theodor Körner 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
 
 
 
Loben
 
 
NPEA Loben
 
 
(East-) Upper Silesia (Today Poland)
 
 
1. April 1941
 
 
School for children with speech impediments
 
 
 
Putbus
 
 
NPEA Rügen
 
 
Pomerania
 
 
1. September 1941
 
 
Pädagogium (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 Kärnten
 
 
Carinthia (Austria)
 
 
1941
 
 
Benedictine Abbey
 
 
 
Vorau
 
 
NPEA Gottweig
 
 
Styria (Austria)
 
 
Januar 1943
 
 
Augustine Abbey
 
 
 
Seckau
 
NPEA Seckau
 
Styria (Austria)
 
1941
 
 
Benedictine Abbey (Stift)
 
 
 
Rufach
 
 
NPEA Rufach
 
 
Alsace (Today France)
 
 
Oktober 1940
 
 
Hospice
 
 
 
 
Haselünne
 
 
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 Böhmen
 
 
(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-Günther Buchheim (author and painter)
*Heinz Dürr (businessman)
*Jörg Andrees Elten (journalist)
*Manfred Ewald (athletic official)
*Alfred Herrhausen (businessman)
*Horst Janssen (printmaker)
*Hellmuth Karasek (journalist and author)
*Hardy Krüger (actor)
*Johannes Poeppel (general)
*Theo Sommer (journalist)
*Rüdiger von Wechmar (diplomat)
*Heinz Hitler (nephew of Adolf Hitler)
==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==
== Notes ==
*
== External links ==
*Hitler Youth Forum
Category:Schools in Germany
Category:Boarding schools in Germany
Category:High schools in Germany
Category:Nazi Germany
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