Langeloh Grundschule

Did the name Langeloh ever mean “long forest”? Langeloh Grundschule, nestled in Dortmund, has roots stretching back to the 1700s. Imagine children from the Kirchhörde parish, their journey to school a trek across vast distances. They walked from Hombruch in the north to Schnee and Viermärker Eiche in the south, and from Kruckel in the west to Kirchhörde in the east. Around 1714, a debate sparked within the community. A centrally located school was proposed, a solution to the arduous journeys. This new school, Langeloh, appeared before 1740. The first documented mention of the school and its grounds, known as Kamp, dates to that year. The original structure housed a single classroom and the teacher’s living quarters. A nearby stable and barn provided space for livestock, tools, and harvested crops. The teacher relied on this self-sufficiency, even holding grazing rights in the Großholthausen Mark. From 1784 to 1807, the school served double duty. With St. Patroklus Church under reconstruction, the community gathered at Langeloh for worship. By 1810, the school catered to the children of 96 families. Growth prompted expansion in 1822. A second building, nicknamed “die Kaffeemühle” (the coffee grinder) for its cubic shape and pyramidal roof, joined the original structure. This new addition hosted Sunday services. In the 1840s, the young Friedrich Harkort children attended Langeloh. When rain or snow made the paths impassable, or when the Kirchhörder Bach flooded at Froschloch, they arrived on horseback. Tragedy struck in 1870 when the main building, including the teacher’s apartment, burned down. It wasn’t until 1875 that a new structure, this time with one classroom and two teacher apartments, replaced it. Classes temporarily relocated to the Möllershof during construction. As Dortmund’s population boomed with industrialization, new schools sprung up in neighboring areas. Kirchhörde got one in 1862, followed by Schnee in 1875, Kruckel in 1900, and Kleinholthausen in 1904. Langeloh itself saw another transformation in 1929. A larger, more modern school emerged. It boasted three classrooms, a physics room, a teaching kitchen, an art room, and a school garden, making it the most modern school in Dortmund at the time. A monument to the “vagabond poet” Peter Hille stands before the school. The 1929 building still stands today, designated a historical landmark in 1987 for its neo-baroque style. With the rise of the Löttringhauser Großsiedlung in the 1960s and 1970s, Langeloh gained a modern addition in 1969. A gymnasium, a school pavilion, a sports field, and a pavilion for the OGS (offener Ganztag), which provides afternoon care and additional support for students, followed. Langeloh Grundschule continues to evolve. In the 2012/13 school year, it merged organizationally with Harkort Grundschule in Hombruch. From humble beginnings, Langeloh Grundschule remains a vital part of Dortmund’s educational landscape.