What stories do these walls hold? We are standing before An der Schule. More specifically, we are at the Wilhelm Raabe School. The roots of this school go way back. They stretch to 1790.
Originally, it was a school for Royal servants’ sons. In 1790, King George III approved funds. He wanted to build a school for daughters too. The schools shared a building. That building was on the corner of Burgstraße and Marstallstraße.
The Wilhelm Raabe School officially began in 1853. It was first known as the Higher Girls’ School. By 1854, it moved to a new building near Prinzenstraße. In 1856, a teacher training seminar was added. It aimed to train young women as teachers.
As student numbers grew, so did the need for space. In 1867, the Higher Girls’ School moved again. This time, it was to Am Graben 9. The building was expanded in 1872. A double gymnasium followed in 1895. A second school, the Schillerschule, opened in 1879. The original school then became the Higher Girls’ School I. Later, it was called Lyzeum I.
The girls’ school reform of 1908 changed things. Higher girls’ schools gained equal status. They could now issue leaving certificates. In the same year, the school moved again. This time, it was to the building on Langensalzastraße. This is where we stand now at An der Schule.
Its name then changed to Higher Girls’ School I. It included a teacher training facility and Elisabeth School. You can still see this name carved in stone above the teachers’ entrance.
World War I had an impact. However, the school began to recover by 1919. By 1923, the school added a kindergarten teacher seminar. Young women could train as kindergarten teachers.
In 1936, the school finally got its wish. It was renamed the Wilhelm Raabe School. Dr. Hans Roeder chose the name. He admired the writer Wilhelm Raabe.
In 1943, disaster struck An der Schule. A bombing raid damaged the school severely. The third floor burned completely. The beautiful hall and organ were destroyed. Further damage followed until March 1945.
After a short break, classes resumed in 1945. The Wilhelm Raabe School had all its classrooms again by 1953. The school was modernized. It got its current look in 1966.
For many years, the Wilhelm Raabe School remained a girls’ school. Even the reforms of the 1970s did not change this. The teachers and parents wanted to keep it that way.
Finally, in 1985, co-education was introduced. Boys and girls started learning together. Since 1990, students can join bilingual classes. Some subjects are taught in both German and English.
The Wilhelm Raabe School continues to evolve. It adapts to the changing needs of its students. It stands as a testament to Hanover’s educational history. It is a place of learning. It is a place of growth. An der Schule is a place where the future is shaped.