Haus Vorwärts

Once a humble “Klippschule,” Haus Vorwärts stands proudly beside Bremen’s Dom. Haus Vorwärts has witnessed centuries of Bremen’s history. The building itself is a testament to the city’s evolving spirit. Originally built around 1500, Haus Vorwärts first served as a modest schoolhouse known as the Klippschule, or poor school. Imagine children from less fortunate families gathering here. They learned basic reading and writing, their futures uncertain. By 1712, the schoolmasters’ names were recorded. This shows the school’s continuous operation. These teachers relied on meager tuition fees for their livelihood. The Dom-Strukturei, however, covered the rent for this simple, one-story structure. One teacher, Hermann Rautenberg, managed to climb the educational ladder. He moved from the Klippschule to become a writing and arithmetic master at the German Domschule in 1802. The school’s time at Haus Vorwärts ended in 1818 when Senator Franz Friedrich Droste Jr. purchased the building and relocated the school to Violenstraße 6. Haus Vorwärts then transformed into two apartments. This was after Anton Rosenkranz, a decorative painter, and Johann Diedrich Weingardt, a musician, acquired it in 1834. The “Verein Vorwärts” entered the scene in 1846. Founded by Johann Caspar Koop, this worker’s educational association sought to uplift Bremen’s working class. The association acquired Haus Vorwärts in stages. First, the widow of Friedrich Heim sold number 4 in 1897. Then the widow of Johann Ferdinand Steinbach, a tailor, sold number 4a in 1908. Number 5 had been purchased much earlier, in 1853. The association saw Haus Vorwärts as a perfect home, a symbol of progress and enlightenment. The Verein Vorwärts renovated and expanded the building, adding a gymnasium in 1859. The striking gable, designed by Wilhelm Hermann Lüninghusen, was added in 1882. It proudly displays Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, a fitting emblem for an educational association. A beehive symbolizes the association’s dedication to industriousness. Quotations from Schiller and Lavater emphasize the importance of striving for self-improvement. After serving the association for over a century, Haus Vorwärts was transferred to the city of Bremen in 1970. It later became a police station before finding its current purpose as the “Haus der Wissenschaft” in 2005. Haus Vorwärts stands as a symbol of Bremen’s commitment to education, community, and progress. It reminds us of the power of knowledge to uplift individuals and transform society.