Gymnasium Waldstraße

Gymnasium Waldstraße is a secondary school in Hattingen that combines a 1914 main building with modern structures, including two pavilions and a 2010 multipurpose building. The campus offers spaces for various subjects and languages, with instruction in English, Latin, French, and Spanish, plus Italian available as an extracurricular activity.

The institution traces back to a 17th-century Latin school, with the first Abitur exam taking place in 1914 when the main building was completed. This long lineage shows how the school evolved from an early academic institution to its modern form.

The school maintains partnerships with institutions in England and Belgium, bringing international perspectives into daily school life through regular exchange visits and collaborative projects. These connections shape how students experience education beyond their local community.

Visitors can see the campus with its mix of historic and modern buildings standing side by side, providing a visual sense of how school architecture has changed over time. The location on Waldstraße is straightforward to find, with the oldest building immediately recognizable by its classical structure.

From 1966 to 1989, the school ran an Archaeological Working Group that let students participate in actual excavations at local sites. This hands-on program gave generations of students direct experience with archaeology, an activity rarely offered in schools.