Bauska school discovers historical stairs during repairs

Take note – story published 3 years ago

While performing repairs at Bauska State Gymnasium, a historic staircase has been found in the current history classroom beneath the floor, Zemgale Regional TV reported August 26.

In the 1930s, the space that is now the history class had been home to the central entrance and cloakroom. In the seventies this was removed when new housing unit was attached to the school. Nobody ever knew the builders had not dismantled the staircase but hidden it under the floor.

It would never have occurred to the unknowing that there were two buildings under the facade of the Bauska State Gymnasium. The so-called old building is an elementary school building built in 1930. The central entrance was in a different place at the time.

“At the beginning, there were stairs and cloakrooms. It was the only place where you could get into school properly. Of course there were other doors, but they were more like staff doors,” said historian Raitis Ābelnieks.

After the construction of the new building in 1970, the front door of the historic building was closed by walls. A ballroom was created instead of the cloakroom, but later a classroom. No one had known that the builders had not dismantled the stairs that had led from the cloakroom, but hidden them  under the new floor, along with the historical flooring.

A part of the tiles, stairs and railings will be preserved.

"Of course they've worn off and won't be able to keep the whole floor as it is, but let's keep some fragments," said Linuta Ģerģe, principal of the Bauska State Gymnasium.

 

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