»Changing the world by changing people« was August Hermann Francke’s answer to the question of how to reform society. Education played a central role in this programme. Like the orphanage, the Royal Pädagogium was founded in 1695. The school was permitted to bear the title »Royal« because, in 1702, the Prussian King Frederick I granted Francke special privileges for the school in a royal charter. However, he had to finance it himself. Young students worked as teachers at the Pädagogium. They were trained for this in a practical manner. In this way, the Pädagogium aimed to educate a dual elite: future leaders in politics, administration and the military, as well as future teachers and preachers. The Pädagogium educated boys from the leading classes: the nobility, high-ranking officials, ministers and officers, as well as from wealthy merchant families. In return for the payment of high school fees, the children were given an education befitting their social standing and, at the same time, modern in nature. Languages, natural sciences and practical skills played an important role here.
The Pädagogium educated boys from the leading social classes: the nobility, high-ranking officials, ministers and officers, as well as wealthy merchant families. In return for substantial school fees, the children were given an education that was both appropriate to their social standing and modern in its approach. Languages, the natural sciences and practical skills played an important role here. Most of the boys at the Royal Pädagogium did not merely attend lessons. Some came from far away and also lived at the school. The pupils were under supervision around the clock. The aim was to raise them to be devout and disciplined Christians. This comprehensive upbringing of young people was linked to the goal that, in their future roles within the so-called ‘ruling class’, they themselves would contribute to improving conditions.
The exhibition offers a multifaceted insight into the history of this elite boarding school. The school’s organisation and daily life, the teachers, the pupils and the lessons are vividly presented through selected items from the library and archives. An audio guide and a digital version of the exhibition complement the display.
A catalogue has also been published to accompany the exhibition as part of the »Kleine Schriften« series.
