Did you know that the Apostelgymnasium started in Cologne’s Old Town? It stood next to the Romanesque Church of St. Aposteln. Now, the Kölnischer Kunstverein resides there.
The Apostelgymnasium has a rich history. It began on October 9 1860. It was Cologne’s third gymnasium of the modern era. Back then it was called “Katholisches Gymnasium an der Apostelkirche”. City master builder Julius Carl Raschdorff designed the new building.
The school’s funds came largely from the Kölner Gymnasial- und Stiftungsfonds. This fund managed the legacy of Cologne’s Jesuits and their school. Heinrich Bigge served as the first director from 1860 to 1882. The street where the school is located is named after him. Karl Schwering, another director, also has the nearby Karl-Schwering-Platz named in his honor.
In 1876, the school’s name changed. It became “Königlich Katholisches Gymnasium an der Apostelkirche”. After the end of the German Empire in 1918, “Königlich” became “Staatlich”.
Before 1933, many Jewish students attended this Catholic school. Herbert Baum, son of the Jewish religion teacher, had to leave in 1935. He emigrated after getting his intermediate certificate. In 1933, only four Jewish students remained. One of them was Bruno Benjamin Scheftelowitz. He also emigrated that same year with his parents.
In 1939, the gymnasium was officially closed. It was also called St. Aposteln. The closure was due to a street construction project for today’s Hahnenstraße. The Prussian government closed other schools too. They claimed Cologne had too many gymnasiums. The upper grades went to the Schillergymnasium. The lower grades were distributed elsewhere.
After World War II, the school was re-established. It was first named “Staatliches Apostelgymnasium, vereinigt mit dem ehemaligen Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gymnasium und dem ehemaligen Schillergymnasium”. In November, it moved to Lotharstraße. The building belonged to the Gymnasialfonds. The Hildegard-von-Bingen-Gymnasium was also located there since 1928.
Classes were held in the badly damaged building together with the Hildegardisschule. This location gave the Apostelgymnasium the character of a district school. The school retained its Catholic identity. Around one-third of the students were Protestant. Few non-Christians attended after the war.
In 1961, the school moved to a new building. It was designed by Walther Ruoff. It is now a protected monument.
Since 1972, the school has been coeducational. In 1973, the city took over sponsorship and the name changed to “Städtisches Apostelgymnasium”. Today, it is officially just “Apostelgymnasium”. New buildings were added at the start of the new millennium. The school celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2010.
The Apostelgymnasium focuses on ancient and modern languages. It offers Ancient Greek from class 8. This is due to its humanistic tradition. Latin or French can be chosen as a second language from class 6. Chinese is offered as a working group from class 7 if there is interest. Spanish is available from class 8.
The Apostelgymnasium also supports music and sports. There is a theater group in the middle school. It works with the Cologne Sports University and sports clubs. The school offers instruction in Practical Philosophy for students not taking Catholic or Protestant religion classes.
On the school grounds, there is a sundial. It is the third largest of its kind in Germany. It’s the only school sundial used for science lessons. It was planned for the school’s anniversary in 2010.