Kastamonu Abdurrahmanpaşa High School

Kastamonu Abdurrahmanpaşa High School was established on 20 April 1885 as “Kastamonu İdadisi” under the leadership of then Kastamonu Governor Abdurrahman Nurettin Pasha, as part of the Ottoman State’s policy of expanding educational institutions to the provinces. The Kastamonu İdadi School was officially inaugurated with a ceremony on 2 May 1885 by Governor Abdurrahman Nurettin Pasha. It was the first modern state high school established in Anatolia after Galatasaray and the Istanbul high schools. Galatasaray and Istanbul high schools from which it followed in sequence.

The founding process reflected Pasha’s strong commitment to education. The school’s first class opened in the building of the current Military Rüştiye; over time it expanded both in the number of classes and by transitioning to a boarding school. In 1912 the school was upgraded from “idadi” to “sultani” status and after the proclamation of the Republic it was renamed “Kastamonu High School.” In 1963 it was renamed once again as “Abdurrahmanpaşa High School” in honor of its founder.

Abdurrahmanpaşa High School was not merely an educational institution but also played an active role in the defense of the homeland. During World War I and the Çanakkale Campaign, 120 students left for the front with a note that read: “Teacher, we are going to the front for our country; do not mark us as absent.” Most of them became martyrs. In 1921, due to students participating in the War of Independence, the school did not graduate any class that year.

^{Çanakkale Savaşına dair-} TRT Türk

In 1937, as the existing building became inadequate, construction began on a new high school building along Atatürk Avenue. This new structure evolved into a modern educational complex with classrooms, laboratories, a conference hall, and a dormitory. After a comprehensive renovation in 1995, the school met contemporary standards and in 2005 became an Anadolu High School; in 2019 it was granted “project school” status.

Since its founding, the school has produced numerous prominent figures and has served as a witness to both the final years of the Ottoman Empire and the Republican era. Many influential names in literature and intellectual life, including Arif Nihat Asya, Rıfat Ilgaz, Orhan Şaik Gökyay, Abdülbaki Gölpınarlı, and Behçet Necatigil, graduated from this institution.

Abdurrahmanpaşa High School has distinguished itself not only through academic excellence but also through achievements in the arts and sports. Consecutive Turkish championship titles in handball during the 2000s, placements in international competitions, and awards won in TÜBİTAK projects demonstrate the school’s high educational quality.