Schnepfenthal institution
Encyclopedia
The Schnepfenthal Institution (Salzmannschule Schnepfenthal) is a school in Schnepfenthal, a section of Waltershausen
, Germany
, founded in 1784 by Christian Gotthilf Salzmann
, originally for the purpose of raising the children of his large family and testing new educational theories. The curriculum borrowed ideas from John Locke
, Jean-Jacques Rousseau
, and especially Johann Bernhard Basedow
, the founder of the first Philanthropinum, a progressive experimental school in Dessau. Conformity to natural law
and enlightenment
were its watchwords; great attention was given to practical life and student assessment; the modern languages were carefully taught; and physical education was introduced by one of the teachers at Schnepfenthal, Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths
. He is considered the founder of modern physical education and gymnastics.
Today the school is a state secondary boarding school specializing in languages. Pupils learn English
and Latin from 5th grade, Arabic
, Chinese
, or Japanese
from 6th grade, and two of the four languages French
, Spanish
, Italian
, or Russian
from 8th and 9th grade, respectively.
geographer
Carl Ritter
. Another was the Austrian poet, librettist, lithographer and actor, Franz von Schober
.
Waltershausen
Waltershausen is a city in the district of Gotha, Thuringia, Germany.The town has a population of 11475 .-Sister cities: Bruay-sur-l'Escaut, France Korbach, Germany Wolbrom, Poland Hanau, Germany -External links:*...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, founded in 1784 by Christian Gotthilf Salzmann
Christian Gotthilf Salzmann
Christian Gotthilf Salzmann was the founder of the Schnepfenthal institution, a school dedicated to new modes of education...
, originally for the purpose of raising the children of his large family and testing new educational theories. The curriculum borrowed ideas from John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
, Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.His novel Émile: or, On Education is a treatise...
, and especially Johann Bernhard Basedow
Johann Bernhard Basedow
Johann Bernhard Basedow was a German educational reformer, teacher and writer. He founded the Philanthropinum, a short-lived but influential progressive school in Dessau, and was the author of "Elementarwerk", a popular illustrated textbook for children.-Early years:Basedow was born in Hamburg,...
, the founder of the first Philanthropinum, a progressive experimental school in Dessau. Conformity to natural law
Natural law
Natural law, or the law of nature , is any system of law which is purportedly determined by nature, and thus universal. Classically, natural law refers to the use of reason to analyze human nature and deduce binding rules of moral behavior. Natural law is contrasted with the positive law Natural...
and enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
were its watchwords; great attention was given to practical life and student assessment; the modern languages were carefully taught; and physical education was introduced by one of the teachers at Schnepfenthal, Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths
Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths
Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths, also called Guts Muth or Gutsmuths was a teacher and educator in Germany, and is especially known for his role in the development of physical education...
. He is considered the founder of modern physical education and gymnastics.
Today the school is a state secondary boarding school specializing in languages. Pupils learn English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Latin from 5th grade, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, or Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
from 6th grade, and two of the four languages French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, or Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
from 8th and 9th grade, respectively.
Notable alumni
One of its famous students was the GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
geographer
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
Carl Ritter
Carl Ritter
Carl Ritter was a German geographer. Along with Alexander von Humboldt, he is considered one of the founders of modern geography. From 1825 until his death, he occupied the first chair in geography at the University of Berlin.-Biography:Ritter was born in Quedlinburg, one of the six children of a...
. Another was the Austrian poet, librettist, lithographer and actor, Franz von Schober
Franz von Schober
Franz Adolf Friedrich Schober, since 1801 von Schober was an Austrian poet, librettist, lithographer, actor in Breslau and Legationsrat in Weimar....
.