“Hausarbeitslehre” or domestic science. At the Gymnasium Luisenstift, it was once a core subject. Founded in 1857, the Luisenstift began as an “institute for daughters of higher standing”. Louise Henriette von Mangoldt established it in Tharandt. It was a collective school with an attached boarding house.
Girls from educated families learned housekeeping skills. Singing and gymnastics were also on the curriculum. The school also aimed to instill Christian values. By 1864, 50 students were enrolled at the Gymnasium Luisenstift.
Mangoldt died of measles. In her will, she bequeathed the school to the Diakonissenanstalt Dresden. To honor its founder, the school was renamed Luisenstift on her next birthday. That was November 28, 1865. Julie von Vitzthum was appointed as Mangoldt’s successor.
The school soon became too small. The Diakonissenanstalt already had a branch in Niederlössnitz. It was a hospital. So, the Fuchs vineyard and neighboring properties were acquired for a new school building.
The cornerstone was laid on November 28, 1868. The Ziller brothers started the new building in Niederlössnitz in early 1869. Classes began in the new building at Easter 1870. It was exclusively for “higher daughters”. “Higher sons” had to travel to Dresden or Meissen for many years.
In 1884, Director Hoffmann opened his private teaching institute for boys aged 6 to 15. It was the Hoffmannsche Knabeninstitut. It was a progymnasium with a boarding house. In 1872, a residential and boarding building was added to the Luisenstift. Today, it is the Kleines Haus. A kindergarten followed in 1875. State-certified teachers taught at the Gymnasium Luisenstift from 1876. In 1906, the school was expanded into a ten-grade higher girls’ school.
Ernst Bernhard Graf Vitzthum von Eckstädt took over the administration. He was Julie’s brother. He thoroughly reformed the Luisenstift. It proved its worth even during the wars and inflation of the early 20th century.
From 1924, students could take their Abitur. The exam took place at the Dresden teacher training seminar. From 1932, it was held directly at the Luisenschule. During the Nazi era, religious influences were suppressed. Nazi ideology took their place. In 1940, the deaconesses were dispossessed. The school became the property of the city. Its official name was Oberschule für Mädchen. From 1945, boys from the Oberschule für Jungen also attended classes. It was commonly called the Luisenstiftschule. In 1992, it was reduced to an eight-year Gymnasium.
An architectural competition was held in 2016. It aimed to renovate the historic buildings and add a new building to the Gymnasium Luisenstift. From 2007 to early 2009, the former Weinbergschule was renovated for about 6 million euros. It was a DDR-Schulbau of the Dresden Atrium type. Since 1992, it has been part of the Gymnasium Luisenstift as the Weinberghaus. A new structure was added at an angle to the north. During the renovation, another school building in Radebeul was rented. Most students were temporarily housed there. The new building received the Bauherrenpreis of the city of Radebeul in 2011.
The historical school building, also known as Luisenhaus, is a long plastered building with a slate roof. It stands perpendicular to Straße der Jugend to the north. The building appears three-story high to the north. To the south, it faces the tree-lined schoolyard. It stands on a higher basement. The long symmetrical central building has narrow four-story transverse wings with hipped roofs at the ends. The east side features a two-story polygonal extension for the former deaconess chapel of the Gymnasium Luisenstift. The north side has a central projection with twin windows. The round-arched school entrance is located there. On the south side, there is also a central projection with triple windows. It is crowned by a late classicist triangular gable. The entrance there is above a wide flight of steps. The two-story former gymnasium connects to the western narrow side. The gardener’s house adjoins it. Both have been converted into classrooms.
Louise Henriette von Mangoldt founded the Gymnasium Luisenstift. Daniela von Bülow was a student from 1875 to 1877. She was the daughter of Hans and Cosima von Bülow. She was also the stepdaughter of Richard Wagner. Thea von Harbou was also a student. She became a theater actress, screenwriter, and writer. The Gymnasium Luisenstift has a rich history and continues to evolve.