The Former Piarist School (Fosta Școală a Piariștilor) is an 18th-century historic school building on King Ferdinand I Square in the center of Mediaș.
Dating from around 1736, the building was established for the Piarists, a Catholic teaching order that placed particular emphasis on education. Their school formed part of the religious and educational life of Mediaș during the 18th century, but this period was relatively short-lived. The institution closed toward the end of the century, and in 1794 the property was purchased by the merchant Fritz I. Guggenberger.
Under its new ownership, the former school was adapted for a very different role. The ground floor was converted to commercial premises, while other parts of the building were used as residences, beginning the mixture of uses that has continued in various forms ever since. One of the early photographic studios in Mediaș also operated here from the end of the 19th century into the early 20th century.
Despite these later adaptations, much of the building’s 18th-century structure survives. Its architecture is relatively restrained for the Baroque period, particularly on the street façade, while the entrance passage and interior circulation preserve more characteristic features. The broad passage is divided into vaulted bays, with symmetrical staircases rising toward the upper floors and surviving stucco decoration adding detail to the interior.
The building stands immediately beside the Schuster House on King Ferdinand Square. Shops still occupy parts of the ground floor, while a plaque on the façade records the more recent use of part of the building by a Montessori school.
