Goethe Gymnasium Karlsruhe

The Goethe Gymnasium is a German High School in Karlsruhe, a town in Southern Germany. It specialises in the natural sciences and modern languages and is named after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The school offers a bilingual English profile, which makes it unique in Karlsruhe.Profile and school life todayEnglish and French or Latin are taught from fifth grade at the Goethe Gymnasium. From seventh grade they offer a bilingual English profile. In eighth grade students have the option to choose between a language profile, with Italian as their third foreign language, or a natural science profile in which science and technology are compulsory.The bilingual orientation of the school entails intensive English lessons in fifth and sixth grade. In twelfth grade students have the option to take the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English.The Goethe Gymnasium has their own Big Band and multiple choirs that perform inside and outside of school. A German drama group completes the cultural extracurricular activities of the school.HistoryFoundation (1908-1918)The Goethe School was founded in 1908. Dr. Peter Treutlein was the first headmaster. Classes started with 417 students and 16 full-time teachers in the magnificent building that was built for 1 million German marks (now approximately 500 000 USD).During World War I the school was used as a barracks while classes were moved elsewhere.Time between the wars and World War II (1919 - 1945)The time between 1919 and 1933 was shaped by headmaster Dr. Karl Ott. In this period the school's reputation as a prestigious school that successfully combined the natural sciences and modern languages was established.After Hitler seized power in 1933 Dr. Ott was de facto replaced by convinced Nazi Dr. Oeß and actually dismissed in 1934. Like other schools the Goethe-School could not avoid Gleichschaltung - Nazi terminology for the process of establishing a totalitatian system of control over society.