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The Tiefburg school is one of two state schools in Handschuhsheim and was built in 1897 on land previously belonging to the Count of Helmstatt.
Tiefburg School in 1957 (Foto: Tiefburg Archives)
The existence of a school in Handschuhsheim was first mentioned in 1588 in the local orphanage rules. Herbert Derwein’s book “Handschuhsheim and Its History” mentions that a school house on Lindenplatz (Lime Square) was demolished in 1862 and replaced by a new and much more spacious building in Obere Kirchgasse. In 1877, the two denominational schools were united to form one single community school. Initially 400 children were taught in four rooms and they were only separated for religious instruction.
The new Tiefburg school was opened on 1st May 1897, but due to frequent overcrowding it often became necessary to move children to schools in Neuenheim or back to the old school house in Obere Kirchgasse.
Since the 1960s the school has been just a junior school, with around 250 pupils.
After the 100th anniversary of the school in 1997, work began on building a gymnasium, which had been lacking until then. The peculiarity of this sports hall and other rooms are that the new building was half-submerged into the school yard.
The Tiefburg Stone (Foto: Kunze)
During excavation work, a large sandstone rock was found. Local stonemason Mathes engraved an image of the school onto this rock, known as the Tiefburg stone, which now serves as a meeting point for children after the breaks. (bm)