How about stepping back in time to when the Leibniz-Gymnasium first opened its doors. This wasn’t just any school. It was an institution that would shape minds for over a century.
The Leibniz-Gymnasium, or LG as some called it, began its journey in 1888. It stood proudly opposite the Neues Gymnasium. Imagine the hustle and bustle of students eager to learn.
Initially, the building housed both an elementary and a secondary school. The south wing was home to the Höhere Mädchenschule later known as Neues Gymnasium. Before becoming a Gymnasium in 1953, it housed an Oberrealschule and then a Reformrealgymnasium. In 1964, the school received its name after the brilliant Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. He was a German philosopher and mathematician.
The architecture of the Leibniz-Gymnasium is noteworthy. The building was constructed in the Jugendstil style. Architects Paul Bonatz and Friedrich Eugen Scholer designed it. Construction finished in 1911/1912 costing 355,000 D-Mark. Today it stands as a protected cultural monument.
Many notable figures attended the Leibniz-Gymnasium. Heinz Dürr a renowned entrepreneur walked these halls. Lutz Niethammer Eric Carle Wolle Kriwanek and Claire Walka are also alumni. Frieder Nake an informatics pioneer graduated in 1958. Heinz Krämer a writer teacher and Ministralrat earned his Abitur in 1942. Rainer Haas a jurist and Landrat graduated in 1975. Klaus Peter Dannecker a theologian completed his Abitur in 1982.
The Leibniz-Gymnasium celebrated its 125th anniversary in November 2013. Otto Fischer was the school’s last director. In the school year 2015/2016 there were 618 students and 43 teachers.
The Leibniz-Gymnasium maintained partnerships with several schools abroad. These included Lycée Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg and Collège George Pompidou in Claix. Lyons Township High School in La Grange and Gymnasium Krenová in Brno were also partners. Further partnerships existed with School No 75 in St. Petersburg and Gymnasium No 4 in Samara.
In 2018, the Leibniz-Gymnasium merged with the Neues Gymnasium. This created the Neues Gymnasium Leibniz or NGL. The NGL has around 1300 students making it Stuttgart’s largest Gymnasium. It offers G8 bilingual G8 and G9 profiles. The school focuses on languages and natural sciences.
Around the Leibniz-Gymnasium erected in 1912 by Paul Bonatz and Eugen Scholer a new school campus arose. At the heart of the new school is the forum building with a large canteen a student cafe and the school library. In the two flanking new buildings are the science classrooms and the general teaching area. The administration the school management and the upper school are located in the Leibniz building.
Construction for the new campus started in 2023. Completion is expected around 2030. The project costs around 201.3 million euros.
The Leibniz-Gymnasium has a rich history. It’s an important part of Stuttgart-Feuerbach. It continues to evolve. It shapes future generations.