Floor Plan and Description of the Orphanage with all Functions

As the number of children in Francke’s care continued to increase, he decided to erect a spacious building, which later became renowned as the »Halle Orphanage«. In July 1698, the foundation stone was laid a few hundred metres from St. George’s Church. Here Francke set up schoolrooms and teachers’ rooms, a dormitory, dining room, library and Wunderkammer for orphans and children of the poor and the middle classes, as well as a bookshop, a printing shop and a pharmacy. At the same time, he received the founding privilege for his institutions from the Brandenburg Prince-Elector Friedrich III. His private initiative was thus confirmed as a ‘publiques Werck’ [public work] and supported with various legal and tax benefits.

The imposing building aroused not only admiration, but also resentment and criticism. Francke was accused of building a castle for the common man’s child. In fact, the building, which could be seen from afar, served as a stone symbol for the start of Francke’s comprehensive educational and social reforms.