Girls' education in Leszno until the end of the 18th century

Abstract

The article attempts to present the problem of girls’ access to education in Leszno until the end of the 18th century. The issue was described based on the scant sources that have survived from that period in the history of schools and indirectly – on the basis of women’s biographies and data on the books they owned. It has been shown that from 1638 Lutheran girls had the opportunity to attend schools teaching at the elementary level; these were mainly so-called Winkelschulen. Two educated women were distinguished: the poet Anna Memorata and the visionary Krystyna Poniatowska, who were definitely above the standards of the time.