#School #Frankfurt (Oder) #1930
Deutsches Reich (German State)
Friedrich-Ebert-Straße 51, 51a, 52
15234
Frankfurt (Oder),
Germany
Public transport: Gauß-Gymnasium / Gerhard-Hauptmann-Straße
Today's use: School
Description
The different functional areas of this school are strongly emphasized on the outside. The entrance area on the north side is decorated by a canopy. A huge foyer is joining all main parts of the school. Next door is the striking structure, which contains a staircase and lounges on the inside. On the north side, to the right of the entrance, i.e. in a westerly direction, the building continues with a comb-like middle part. It houses the classrooms, which due to this arrangement have windows on three sides. The administration rooms of the school are in the eastern area. The southern facade is presented in a completely different way. In the southeast is the round building that was used as a music hall. The canteen is partly located in this section today. In the middle area, opposite the main entrance, is the ballroom with its large window fronts. The gymnasium is located in the far west, slightly separated from the school building.
History
In the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) teachers were better trained than in the years before. For this purpose, 15 educational academies were founded after 1925, in addition to Frankfurt (Oder) e.g. in Bonn. There were differences in the commissioning of the construction. The city itself wanted to commission Otto Bartning, but the state, as the developer, insisted on having its own architect.
Construction works began in September 1930. However, due to the global economic crisis, no further construction was carried out for almost a year. Therefore, the opening did not take place until 1935, under completely changed political guidelines and designated as a College for teacher training (Hochschule für Lehrerbildung). With the same name and function it was used until 1957.
After that, the socialist unity party SED used the building as a representative district and county headquarters. This is interesting because the building can be seen as a typical example of the early modern style, the case in point in East Germany that rejected this style and called it formalistic. This should diminish the value of these buildings, as they would have been built more for their form and not for any (ideological) meaning and content.
After the change in Germany the building became a school (Gymnasium) and was completly renovated in 2003.
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