Schulmuseum Friedrichshafen

About the museum

The Schulmuseum opened on February 8, 1980, in the schoolhouse of the Schnetzenhausen district of Friedrichshafen. The foundation was the collection of the former headmaster Norbert Steinhauser; from 1981, Erich Müller-Gaebele, a professor of education from Weingarten, considerably expanded the holdings. Both directed the museum until 2010.

In March 1989, the museum moved to the city center, into the former Villa Riß on Friedrichstraße, and was redesigned there. The operators are the city of Friedrichshafen and the Zeppelin-Stiftung; since 2016, Friederike Lutz has headed the museum.

The permanent exhibition begins in the vaulted cellar with a room on childhood in the Middle Ages, redesigned in 2023, and leads through the cramped village school, where children of different ages learned together, to compulsory schooling and the expansion of the school system in the 19th century. A separate themed room shows education and persecution in the Nazi era, and the final section covers reconstruction, coeducation, and reforms after 1945. Original school desks and classrooms from around 1850, 1900, and 1930 bring the school life of earlier generations to life.

Highlights

• Historic classrooms from around 1850, 1900, and 1930
• Room on childhood in the Middle Ages in the vaulted cellar
• Themed room "Jugend unterm Hakenkreuz" (Youth under the Swastika)
• Costumed tours with historic teacher figures
• Writing with slate pencil, goose quill, and steel nib

Permanent exhibitions

• Schulgeschichte vom Mittelalter bis heute – Tour from children's everyday life in the Middle Ages through the village school and school reforms of the 19th century to the Nazi era and the present, with furnished historic classrooms.

Founded

1980

Operated by

Stadt Friedrichshafen und Zeppelin-Stiftung

Director

Dr. Friederike Lutz

Admission & discounts

Open special tours €3 (children €1) plus admission.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to its own information, the museum is not wheelchair-accessible. Accessible parking spaces in the city are listed at barrierefrei.friedrichshafen.de.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

Children's birthday parties for 7- to 12-year-olds (approx. 2 hours, up to 8 children) with a puzzle trail through the exhibition and crafts; tours for kindergartens and holiday tours. In the historic classrooms, visitors may sit down at old school desks.

Getting there & parking

Covered bicycle racks directly at the museum; the Bodensee-Radweg (Lake Constance cycle route) passes by.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit