Karl-Friedrich-Gymnasium Mannheim

The Karl-Friedrich-Gymnasium is a humanistic gymnasium and the oldest secondary school in Mannheim with a history of more than 350 years without interruption.

The history of the Karl-Friedrich-Gymnasium is initially shaped by the impacts of confessionalism on the education system and by attempts to overcome resulting disputes. Accordingly, separate higher schools were established for the three confessions of the Reformed, the Lutherans, and the Catholics. In 1664, the school was founded as a Reformed pedagogy by Elector Charles Louis. The first rector, Johann Heinrich Bürger, took office in 1665. The responsible supervisory authority was the Heidelberg church council, which was able to successfully fend off the attempts of the consistory of the Reformed community of Mannheim to claim jurisdiction for itself in the 18th century. A new situation arose with the transition of power to the Catholic line of Pfalz-Neuburg. Philip William immediately urged the confessions to peace after his arrival in the residence of Heidelberg. After the city was completely destroyed in the War of the Orléans Succession in 1689, the re-establishment of the Reformed pedagogy began in 1700. The founding of the Lutheran gymnasium, on the other hand, took place in 1711 by the Lutheran parish. In 1720, Elector Charles Philip, from the Catholic line of Pfalz-Neuburg, established the Catholic Jesuit gymnasium. Between 1730 and 1734, a collegiate building was constructed between the western castle wing and the Jesuit church. In 1738, the building for the Jesuit gymnasium was created, located in "Kalten Gass." Since 1759, in the Kurpfalz, only graduates from schools in Heidelberg, Mannheim, Neustadt an der Haardt, and Kreuznach were admitted to university studies. In 1750, the support fund Cassa Pia for needy students in the Jesuit gymnasium was founded. The Cassa Pia existed as a learning material library until after World War II. When the revolution broke out, in 1795, the number of students at all three gymnasiums began to decline. In 1803, the Kurpfalz was dissolved and the city of Mannheim was transferred to Baden. On November 10, 1807, the "United Grand Ducal Lyceum" was established from the three confessional gymnasiums by Grand Duke Charles Frederick of Baden. Since 1820, Jewish students have been admitted to the Lyceum, who constituted almost a third of the student body around 1880. In 1872, the school was renamed "Grand Ducal Gymnasium." Additionally, the reversed counting of classes from Sexta to Prima was introduced.

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