Lessing-Gymnasium Karlsruhe

Why did they name it the Lessing-Gymnasium Karlsruhe? Here we stand, before the Lessing-Gymnasium Karlsruhe, at Gutenbergplatz in the heart of Karlsruhe’s Weststadt. This isn’t just any school. It carries a legacy as Germany’s oldest girls’ gymnasium, a testament to the pioneers of women’s education. Founded in 1893, the original school building, located on Sophienstraße 14, quickly became too small for the burgeoning number of female students eager for knowledge. A new building was erected at Sophienstraße 147 in 1911. It was then, upon the suggestion of the director, Geheimrat Friedrich Keim, that the school was named after the Enlightenment poet and philosopher, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. Now, the Lessing-Gymnasium Karlsruhe offers both language and science tracks. Students begin with English in the fifth grade, followed by French or Latin in the sixth. In the eighth grade, they choose either a language path with Spanish, or a science path focusing on Natural Science and Technology (NwT). The school has continued to evolve. The original building was expanded in the 1970s with a new structure housing science departments and an auditorium. Even more recently, a separate building was added to the schoolyard to accommodate the growing student body and administrative offices. In 1973, Lessing-Gymnasium Karlsruhe embraced co-education, opening its doors to both boys and girls. This marked another significant step in its history, reflecting the changing landscape of education. The Lessing-Gymnasium Karlsruhe continues to thrive as a center for learning, carrying the torch of its historical significance into the future.