Founded in 1906 the Käte-Kollwitz-Gymnasium stands before you. Its history is rich. It began as the 3rd Oberrealschule. It was initially housed in a different building on Choriner Straße.
In 1910 the school moved. The new building was designed by the renowned architect Ludwig Hoffmann. It boasted a tower for physics experiments. A telescope and an armillary sphere sat under its dome. The school excelled in science even in the 1920s.
The Nazi era brought change. On May 30 1938 the school was renamed Blücher-Schule. It became a boys’ school. After World War II it reopened. The Soviets had removed the telescope. The armillary sphere remained. A girls’ school in the same building was named after Käthe Kollwitz in 1946. The boys’ school became the Pasteur-Oberschule.
In 1951 the girls’ and boys’ schools merged. The resulting EOS Käthe Kollwitz had a strong science focus. Heiner Rasch a young SED member led the school. He was only 23 years old. He fostered the FDJ organization at the school. He also founded the Wuhlheide recreational center. Later directors included Antje Reese Albrecht Kuhn Günter Voigtländer and Manfred Wensky.
Sadly the school library was destroyed in a DDR-wide purge in the 1960s. A modern Plattenbau-style building was constructed in 1975. The school relocated to John-Schehr-Straße. A Käthe Kollwitz sculpture by Rolf Winkler stood in front.
After reunification the school briefly lost its name. It became the 3rd Gymnasium Prenzlauer Berg. It successfully reclaimed its original name in 1993. The Kollwitz sculpture returned three days later. Under Jutta Grüschau’s leadership the school flourished. It became a modern gymnasium with a strong science and technology focus.
From 2000 to 2009 the school also accepted 5th graders in a fast-track program. In 2006 it became a MINT school joining Berlin’s network of science-focused schools. In 2012 it joined the MINT-Excellence-Center schools. Since 2010 students enter the science track in 5th grade.
In 2013 the school’s name changed again. It became the Käthe-Kollwitz-Gymnasium. Since 2015 it holds the Deutsche Schachschule quality seal. Chess is mandatory in grades 5 and 6 and offered as an advanced course. The school has repeatedly won Berlin and German school chess championships.
The building you see today is on a narrow plot of land next to the S-Bahn line. It’s a listed building. It features a striking tower. It has undergone renovations adding new classrooms a renovated auditorium and a new library. There is even a football pitch in the backyard. The Käte-Kollwitz-Gymnasium a testament to history innovation and a passion for learning.