Imagine girls in the 1930s eager for education. Now step back in time. We are standing before the Lyc\u00e9e Marie Curie. It is not just a school. It is a symbol of progress and architectural beauty.
Lyc\u00e9e Marie Curie opened its doors in October 1936. It was a school exclusively for girls. Suzanne Forfer was its first director. The school was officially inaugurated in 1937. Jean Zay the Minister of Education presided over the ceremony.
The architect Emile Brunet designed the building. It initially housed around 500 students. This school was built as there was no school for girls. Before its establishment girls had to travel to Paris for education. Some professors from Lyc\u00e9e Lakanal opened a school for girls. It was called Cours Florian in Bourg-la-Reine. But that soon became too small.
In 1931 the city of Sceaux acquired land. It had belonged to mathematician Cauchy. The land was given to the state. The state then commissioned the construction of a girls’ school. Emile Brunet was chosen as the architect in 1932.
The Lyc\u00e9e Marie Curie is named after the famous scientist. Marie Curie married in Sceaux in 1895. She lived with her husband Pierre there. Pierre’s father was a doctor in Sceaux. Marie Curie was a role model for women. She pursued education and taught. These things were usually only for men.
During World War II the Lyc\u00e9e Marie Curie was occupied. A unit of the German Air Force used it. Soldiers slept in classrooms. Director Suzanne Forfer’s apartment was used by a German general. Anti-aircraft guns were placed on the roofs. Underground shelters were used by the German occupiers. Students were taught at Lyc\u00e9e Lakanal. Some classes were held in private homes. Math teacher Alice Pick was dismissed because she was Jewish. Anne-Marie Warin lost her husband. He was a resistance fighter who died in a concentration camp.
After the war the Lyc\u00e9e Marie Curie was repaired. It reopened in October 1944. The number of students grew quickly. By 1954 there were 1327 students. By 1958 there were over 2500. Primary classes were gradually ended.
Until 1971 the Lyc\u00e9e Marie Curie was only for girls. Boys attended Lyc\u00e9e Lakanal. Girls had to wear uniforms. They wore smocks with their names embroidered on them. In 1971 the school began admitting boys. The uniform requirement was dropped.
The Lyc\u00e9e Marie Curie building is Art Deco style. It was built between 1932 and 1936. Emile Brunet designed it. He worked with several artists. Auguste Labouret created mosaics for the hall. Raymond Subes made the ironwork for the entrance. Albert Chartier sculpted the frontispiece. Louis Barillet made the stained-glass windows. The building has been listed as a historical monument since 2001.
The architecture features clean lines and geometric forms. Brunet used reinforced concrete. The exterior is covered in ochre bricks. The interior is white. Mosaics in the hall depict girls doing outdoor activities. The monumental gate features glass pavers. They represent different subjects taught at the school. A bas-relief sculpture called The Sciences and the Letters is by Albert Chartier. A bust of Marie Curie is in the entrance hall.
The Lyc\u00e9e Marie Curie is more than bricks and mortar. It stands as a testament to architectural vision and artistic collaboration. It embodies the spirit of education. It champions women’s pursuit of knowledge. Its halls echo with the stories of students. It is a place where dreams take flight.