Ottoman Gymnasium (currently the Courthouse of Mytilene)

The Ottoman Gymnasium (idadiye) was founded in 1891 and initially hosted 70 pupils with 6 teachers. In 1896 it moved into the impressive building in the Kioski area, built of reddish Sarmusak stone from Adramyttion, probably to plans by architect Dimitris Meimaris. Its erection, costing 8,000 liras from the Ottoman government, was an initiative of a philanthropic Muslim society. In 1897 it had 130 pupils (including 4 Greeks) with 11 teachers, while by 1907 it ran 3 middle-school and 6 high-school classes. The building had 7 classrooms, an assembly hall, dormitories, offices, laboratories and a refectory. The curriculum, besides Religious Studies, included Arithmetic, Geography, Chemistry, History, French and Greek. With the exchange of properties, the building passed to the Greek State and today houses the Mytilene Courthouse.