Discover Germany | Special Theme | A Spotlight on Germany’s Top Boarding Schools
Tradition meets modernity. Campus with modern glass building and medieval monastery architecture.
Mind. Heart. Character. A good upbringing and general education count amongst the most important things we can give our children. It is above all, the intellectual, cultural and social impulses that provide excellent opportunities for their future. In this sense, Collegium Augustinianum Gaesdonck wants to be more than just an exceptionally good school. TEXT: SILKE HENKELE I PHOTOS: COLLEGIUM AUGUSTINIANUM GAESDONCK
“Our boarding school has existed since 1849 and follows the tradition of the former monastery, Gaesdonck. Our selfconception is still based on Christian values,” says Dr. Markus Oberdörster, director of the boarding school in Goch on the German-Dutch border. “The triad of ‘Mind. Heart. Character.’ illustrates our claim to our students’ scientific quality and their behaviour in society,” underlines Oberdörster. “Therefore, Gaesdonck is more than just a good grammar school. Gaesdonck is a living environment and a value-orientated community. 88 | Issue 74 | May 2019
A caring atmosphere, clear structures with connecting rituals and rules, as well as mutual respect, can all be experienced at Gaesdonck to a great extent. Graduates therefore take much more with them than their Abitur. They leave us as responsible, mature personalities – well prepared for family and professional life as well as for their life in greater society.” Gaesdonck’s educational offering exceeds any typical curriculum of a Gymnasium by far. The school’s music practice rooms, art studios, adjoining riding hall, pool, two gyms, a chalet in Switzerland and much
more, complement Gaesdonck’s academic offering. Above all, the ‘Advanced Classes’, the upper school’s courses of excellence, are exceptional, and in many aspects, unique in Germany. At the level of an academic proseminar, they offer, even before graduation, an intensive preparation for studies or a career in the fields of architecture, design, art, economics and medicine, for example. Last but not least, it is the highly qualified and motivated teachers and pedagogues who help contribute to the friendly and open atmosphere on the Gaesdonck campus and who motivate the pupils to grow both academically as well as personally. Curious? Pay Gaesdonck a visit on their Open Day on 15 June 2019. Trial stays are possible at any time and can be organised easily. www.gaesdonck.de