# Theodor-Fliedner-Gymnasium

The Theodor-Fliedner-Gymnasium (TFG) is a Gymnasium high school in the Kaiserswerth district of Düsseldorf, Germany. It is one of the largest Protestant schools in Germany, operated by the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland.

## History

The roots of the school go back to October 13, 1836, when Theodor Fliedner and his wife Caroline Fliedner [de] founded an Educational Institute for Deaconesses in Kaiserswerth. In 1908, a higher girls' school was established, which later evolved into the current Gymnasium. In 1925, an Oberlyzeum was created, allowing students to pursue the Abitur. The school moved to its current premises on Kalkumer Schlossallee in the 1960s.
In 2012, the school underwent a major renovation and expansion. The renovation included the construction of a cafeteria, swimming pool, and sports facilities, which were funded by the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland.
By 2019/20, the school was the most popular Gymnasium in Düsseldorf based on new student enrolments.

## School Profile

The school is named for the founder of Kaiserswerther Diakonie [de], Theodor Fliedner, and is sponsored by the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland. It is open to students of all denominations and faiths. In addition to regular classes, the school offers a wide range Working groups and elective classes in music, sports, languages, natural sciences and culture. The school has specialist rooms, a cafeteria and a self-learning centre, science labs, and a sports complex that includes a gymnasium, swimming pool, and climbing wall. The school also has a notable American football team, which has won regional championships.
In the 2018/19 school year, around 1250 students attended school, who were taught by around 100 teachers. It is one of the largest Protestant schools in Germany.

## International Partnerships

Since 1970, the school has maintained a partnership with Ha'emek Hama’aravi Regional High School in Yifat, Israel. Since 1993, the school has also partnered with a high school in Działdowo, Poland. Additionally, the school has maintained a partnership with a school in Nijmegen, Netherlands, since 2005.

## School Building

The school complex was constructed between 1962 and 1967, based on designs by the Düsseldorf architect Christoph Parade. The architectural design received several awards, including second place in the 1970 architecture prize of the Association of German Architects (BDA) for exemplary architecture.
The buildings, arranged in a pavilion style, consist of multiple one to three-storey structures with flat roofs. They include a children's building for grades 5 and 6, a main building for grades 7 through 12, and functional spaces such as laboratories and an auditorium. The sports facilities include a gymnasium and a swimming pool with an adjustable floor.

## Theodor Fliedner Boarding School

The Theodor Fliedner boarding school, one of the few urban boarding schools in Germany, was established in 1954 by the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland as a residence for students attending the Theodor Fliedner Gymnasium. In 2004, the boarding school came under the management of Kaiserswerther Diakonie, and it accommodated 60 students from grades 5 through 12, including those from surrounding schools. The boarding school ceased operations in July 2021, and the building complex now houses various services of the Kaiserswerther Diakonie.

## Notable Alumni

* Margarethe von Trotta (born 1942), actress, director, and screenwriter (Abitur 1960)
* Carola Gräfin von Schmettow (born 1964), former CEO of HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt
* Marcel Saibert [de] (born 1977), actor and musician (Abitur 1997)
* Romina Becks [de] (born 1987), actress
* Martin Pinter [de] (born 1997), American football player (Abitur 2015)