Schloß-Gymnasium Benrath

Founded in 1907 the Schloss-Gymnasium Benrath has a rich history. Initially a higher boys’ school it occupied the old Benrath mayor’s office. This building was sadly demolished in 1933. Imagine the bustle of those early days 31 Sextaners and 14 pre-class students. Space was soon an issue. In 1912 the upper third class moved to the east wing of Benrath Palace. This was after Benrath’s residents bought the palace from the Prussian state. By 1912-13 all 139 students and 12 teachers were finally housed in the east wing. World War I disrupted studies. English and later Belgian troops occupied the school building. Classes were temporarily held in four external buildings. Teaching resumed in the east wing only in 1920. That year the school became a Realgymnasium with continuous teaching. In 1923 the first Abitur examination took place. Eight Oberprimaner students took part. Benrath’s incorporation into Dusseldorf in 1929 was significant. Studienrat Heinrich Opladen established the still existing Benrath Local History Museum in the west wing. The school was renamed Hermann-Lons-Schule in 1937. The Wehrmacht occupied the east wing in 1943. The school closed for a year beginning in October 1944. After the war the Schloss-Gymnasium Benrath reopened as a humanistic gymnasium with a modern language branch. In 1949 Hans D Fleischhauer founded the school’s theater group. This group is considered the oldest and best-known among Dusseldorf schools. A society of friends of the gymnasium was founded in 1952. The school was renamed Schlossgymnasium Benrath in 1959. It became a municipal modern language gymnasium for boys. Later it became a municipal Schlossgymnasium in 1960. It offered modern languages and mathematics-science. A new school observatory opened in the Schlosspark in 1964. A chess club started in 1965. This has been regionally and nationally successful for decades. In 1967-68 the school was split. Half the students and many teachers moved to a new gymnasium. Changes happened to the upper school in 1975-76. Due to overcrowding temporary buildings were erected on the current orchards in 1976. In 1980 the school moved to a new school center on Wimpfener Strasse. This was about one kilometer north of Schloss Benrath. This new building also housed the Benrath secondary school. For the first time girls were accepted. This move provided special rooms for science art and music. There was also an auditorium for 400 people and a large sports hall with a sports field. From 1997-2013 Sigrid Belzer was the school’s first female headmistress. In 2000 the school signed a cooperation agreement with Cognis (now BASF). In 2008 it also cooperated with Ergo Versicherung. A new school observatory opened near the sports field in 2003 after the old one was demolished. The school established a science profile that year. It includes a science club a specialized profile and courses. The school received the seal as a business-oriented school. Latin and French were taught from grade 6 in 2004. A teacher and subject-oriented room concept was implemented. The school officially became a full-day school in 2009. Extensive renovations took place in the science rooms and sports hall from 2011-2014. A new school canteen and self-learning center opened in 2014. A ground-breaking ceremony for a complete new building took place in May 2023. This is part of the Benrath chess game project. The new building will be on the site of a former paper factory. The new buildings are planned to be finished in late 2024 for the gymnasium and early 2025 for the secondary school. The Schloss-Gymnasium Benrath is a place where history education and innovation come together.