History & Foundation
History & Foundation
The opportunity of an excellent education for all.
Establishment of Landheim
In 1905 Julius Lohmann could have never imagined what his tiny, newly founded private school on the edge of the fishing village Schondorf would one day become. His ideals, summed up in the typically curt Bavarian idiom, “Do it yourself!” (“Macht’s selber!”), are still alive and well in Schondorf today.
Character Building and Education of values
Steeped in the tradition of Kurt Hahn, the father of reform pedagogy, Lohmann maintained that students, at a very early age, should take on responsibilities to prepare them to become mature and accountable citizens. The courage of personal responsibility, the chance to acquire hands-on experience, for example in our trades’ workshops, and maintaining a connection to practical, everyday life in community: alongside an outstanding and demanding academic education, these original reform pedagogical building blocks remain the basic goals of the Landheim today.
On the road to achieving these aims and realizing our vision, we seek to live out the values which are indispensable for community life and for young people striving for success: a readiness to help, a sense of justice, sincerity, dedication and responsibility.
Mind, Heart and Hand
The foundation places particular value on character formation in its various institutions. The main vehicle for forming student personalities at the Landheim is the carefully constructed combination of academics, practical and social activity in a variety of workshops, intensive athletics and personal experience in the areas of art, theater and music: learning with mind, heart and hand.
Establishment of the Foundation
When Ernst and Julie Reisinger took over the leadership of the Landheim and transformed the school into a foundation in 1929, their non-profit initiative of providing a high-quality, affordable education for
children and young people of all social strata was born.
Excerpt from the foundation charter, 1929:
“It should always remain a living organism, adapting itself to emerging trends and new demands, never adhering tenaciously to antiquated forms, and always seeking the best form of education, independent of all
parties or ideologies.”
Tradition and Modernity
It is seldom possible to blend tradition and modernity as harmoniously as is done at Landheim Schondorf. The tenets established by forward-thinking personalities in 1929 have been continuously updated and adapted to meet
current educational demands, always with a view to providing the best form of education possible- an approach that continues to function remarkably well today.
Innovations
Valuing traditions that enrich the community in no way stands in opposition to innovation. For example, is self-evident for us to equip classrooms with technological innovations that promote learning. Traditions also in no way oppose an openness to new educational influences and ways of learning. Rather, our traditional institutions, such as regular morning assembly and evening study hall, should provide students with a sufficient foothold to absorb and process the overwhelming flow of information in our modern world.