Reorganisation of the Francke Foundations into a Prussian school town until 1914

Over the course of the 19th century, Francke’s school town, which had once radiated its reform ideas throughout the world, became a solid Prussian school town, firmly integrated into the Brandenburg-Prussian state system and the structures of the state school bureaucracy. From 1851, even the right of the foundation directors to choose their own successor was abolished, and the directors of the institutions, now philologists and no longer theologians, were appointed by the school ministry in Berlin.

At the same time, the schools run by the foundations consolidated their excellent educational reputation and were rewarded with increasing numbers of pupils. In 1863, some 3,496 pupils attended the nine schools run by the foundations. New school buildings were required on the foundation grounds: in 1857 a new building was erected for the Realschule, which was upgraded to a Realgymnasium in 1882; in 1896 a secondary school for girls (Lyzeum) was inaugurated; in 1906 a new building was erected for the Latin Grammar School, which Francke had founded in 1697, and in 1914 a new large building for the Technical High School.

In the tradition of Francke, who had founded the first teacher training college in Germany in 1696, a new teachers’ facility was opened in 1881, which was to become groundbreaking for teacher training in Prussia. In addition, a teacher training college for women was opened in 1896.