Gymnasium Theodorianum


The Gymnasium Theodorianum is a grammar school situated in the historic centre of Paderborn. Succeeding in the tradition of the cathedral school founded in 799, it is among the ten oldest schools in in the world. It continues in the ideals of Renaissance humanism, with Latin taught as a primary language and Ancient Greek offered as an additional subject. The school is known locally simply as the “Theo”.

History

Medieval Cathedral School

The exact founding year cannot be established definitively. It is however directly linked to the construction of the Paderborn Cathedral in 777, along with a monastery in 780. On the occasion of Pope Leo III’s visit to Paderborn in 799, Charlemagne made a donation to the monastery, which likely included the cathedral school. This date is therefore widely considered the original founding date. The location of the school changed a number of times over subsequent years, within the immediate vicinity of the cathedral. Altmann, Bishop of Passau is the first documented headmaster of the school. Further early headmasters included Reinher of Paderborn, who found a better method for calculating the Easter date, and crusader Cardinal Thomas Olivier.

Gymnasium Salentinianum and Growth under the Prince-Bishops

Following a period of decline during the 14th century, in competition with the appearance of universities, the school experienced a renewal under the rule of Bishop Salentin of Isenburg and headmaster Hermann von Kerssenbroch in the 1500s. The influence of renaissance humanism from this period is still a distinctive presence in the school ethos and curriculum. The school became Lutheran soon thereafter, like most of the citizenry of Paderborn, until the efforts of the Jesuits gradually led to a return of the school to Catholicism, marking the beginning of the Counter Reformation in the region. Under the Prince-bishop of Paderborn, Theodor von Fürstenberg, the forceful submission of Lutheranism in Paderborn was complete by 1604.
During this time the school also gradually moved to its current location, away from the immediate vicinity of the cathedral, with the current school buildings completed in 1612 and the church completed in 1692. The church, with a significant baroque altar, is used for school services to this day. The name Theodorianum also stems from this time.
Following the devastation of the Thirty Years War the school and wider region experienced a period of baroque bloom, at times numbered among the largest schools in Westphalia with up to 1000 pupils. A notable alumnus from this time is the important baroque architect and general Johann Conrad Schlaun, responsible for such buildings as Schloss Münster and the Erbdrostenhof.

New Humanism under Prussian Rule

The annexation of the region by Prussia in 1802 resulted in the development of the school along the lines of German new humanism. Protestant and Jewish pupils were now admitted and the curriculum modernised according to the Humboldtian model of higher education under Friedrich Kohlrausch. In 1874 the school was officially secularised, ending its overt association with the Catholic Church, with its last clerical headmaster leaving in 1884. A rapid growth in student numbers at this time necessitated the expansion of the school buildings, completed in 1893.
From 1847 to 1979 a minor seminary was established by the Archdiocese in the nearby Liborianum for boys considering the priesthood. The majority of their education was provided by the Theodorianum.
Notable pupils from this period were the German Chancellor Wilhelm Cuno, the “father of modern analysis” Karl Weierstrass, the anatomist Heinrich Wilhelm Waldeyer, the composer Engelbert Humperdinck, and the resistance fighter Paul Lejeune-Jung.

The school today

Between January and March 1945 the school was severely damaged by bombing, including the complete destruction of its library of 14 000 books. Reconstruction of the school was largely completed by 1954, with the main spire finished in 1975 and the church’s baroque altar in 2004. From 1971 the school began to accept girls, though a boys’ class remained into the 1990s.
From 2013-14 the school worked in partnership with the Mildenhall College Academy, Suffolk to create a monument commemorating the Christmas Truce. The monument is thought to be the first of its kind in Europe. It is located in the Peace Village of Mesen, Belgium.

Languages

Latin remains compulsory in Years 5-10, and optional thereafter, as is English. In Year 8, either French or Ancient Greek are chosen as additional languages. From Year 10, Spanish and Russian are also optionally available.

Notable Alumni