At the request of the diocesan bishop of Linz, Dr Ernest Müller, the Sisters of the Holy Cross were to establish a boarding school for girls in one of the most beautiful places in Upper Austria – in Bad Ischl or Gmunden. The girls’ boarding school in Gmunden was opened in 1892. Gradually, more and more types of schools were accommodated in the castle-like building: reform grammar school, private girls’ commercial school, further training courses in home economics, catering school for daughters of higher classes, primary and secondary school; kindergarten; grammar school, after-school care centre. From 1999, boys were also admitted.
Due to the declining number of pupils, the decision was made in 2023 to close the educational facilities at the Gmunden-Ort site. As a very committed parents’ initiative presented a convincing concept for the “Campus Ort neu”, a new council for the Gmunden-Ort campus with kindergarten, after-school care, afternoon supervision, primary school and grammar school was established in the last school year. The campus also includes a villa with flats (also for holiday guests) and a boathouse on Lake Traunsee.
After 133 years, the last four sisters are leaving Gmunden-Ort at the end of the school year for reasons of age and health, which is very painful for the sisters and the local population. It is consoling that there is a very innovative management team for the educational institution who want to continue to run the campus in the spirit of the Holy Cross Sisters.
