The Zabergäu-Gymnasium Brackenheim (abbreviation: ZGB) is a general-education grammar school in Brackenheim, Germany. It is attended by about 1000 students from all over Zabergäu and its tradition goes back to the 15th century.

History The first reference of a school for town chroniclers in Brackenheim is dated to 1460. In 1503 the Town Clerk’s office was separated from the grammar school and a certain Wendel Bender was named as the first schoolmaster in Brackenheim. Besides Latin classes with particular clerical commitments there were German classes, too. In these classes students were only taught in German. Since the Church Order by duke Christopher of Württemberg in the year 1559 the territorial lord (Landesherr) supervised the school, but the town held the authorisation to name the schoolmaster. This person had to be countersigned by the territorial lord. After 1560 an assistant teacher was mentioned beside the schoolmaster for the first time. About 1600 the construction of a new school building was started, which had been finished nine years later after a delay of building because of pest.

Under Magister (Latin: teacher) Johann Jakob Rappolt, who administered this office from 1747 to 1791, the Latin school was separated from the German classes prospectively called elementary school. Later these classes obtained their rooms. In 1793 the great school reform changed the orientation of the grammar school from interpretation of texts to “Realien” (arithmetic, geography, regional and cultural studies of fatherland). In 1834 another type of secondary school was established. But in 1851 it was closed again in default of students. In the first few years of its short existence the school was so popular that the number of Latin students temporarily sank to under ten (1842: only three students).

In the second half of the 19th century the grammar school was transformed into a high school with Latin as first, French as second and Greek as optional third foreign language as well as the subjects German, history, algebra, geography, arithmetic, grammar, drawing and singing. In 1863 physical education was introduced at school during summer months. In 1871 schoolgirls were listed at the school, although girls were not formally admitted to grammar schools until 1900. In 1877 a gym was built, so that physical education could be given year-round in the future.

In the years after 1900 Brackenheim's grammar school was repeatedly questioned. Before the First World War the transformation of the grammar school in a secondary school was discussed. In the 1920s the teachers’ technical and vocational skills were criticed by a control commission. In 1930 the shutdown of the grammar school was suggested. This was firmly declined by the local council in the year 1936.

From 1937 the consistent curricular of the National Socialists changed the school's linguistic orientation: For the future English was the first and Latin the second foreign language. From then on the school was called ”Oberschule für Jungen” (Grammar school for boys). This type of school was a so-called “Nichtvollanstalt“, which means that girls were allowed to attend school, too. In the last years of war (1944/1945) the school enrollment number rose strongly because of many displaced families from the surrounding large cities.

After the war's end the building of the grammar school was used by French occupation troops, so that the bibliotheca of this institution was protected from depredations - in contrast to the public elementary school. Since 15 October 1945 the running of the school was started again with five grades (session 5 to 9). About 1950 the school was threatened to be closed again, because it wasn't expanded for the use of six grades, like other grammar schools.

In 1953/1954 a common building for the public elementary school and the grammar school was located. In 1963 a sixth grade was extended (10th session) to a so-called “Progymnasium“. From 1964 to 1966 a new building for the “Progymnasium“ was constructed. In 1968 about 168 pupils attended the school.

On 19 March 1971 Baden-Württemberg's ministry of education and cultural affairs granted the permission for the expansion to a so-called “Vollgymnasiums”. In 1974/1975 the eleventh grade was introduced and in the following years grade 12 and 13, so that the first pupils did their A level in 1977. 1978 and 1983 more annex buildings followed.

In the year 2006 already 950 pupils attended the school. At the beginning of the school year 2006/2007 an addition was inducted. It contains new computer rooms, more class rooms and a few rooms for the use as a full-time school. This rooms are completed by a canteen in the neighboring building.

Dr. Gerhard Aßfahl (1904–2007), a well-known local history researcher and the head of Brackenheim's city archive, was a long-term headteacher from 1939 to 1968. Because he was given the freedom of the Zabergäu's five communes in 1989, there's a special prize called “Dr.-Gerhard-Aßfahl-Preis”. Every school year this prize is given to pupils with extracurricular commitment.

List of all headmasters curatorship name curatorship name 1460 Johannes Pfau M. Hermann Friedrich Hopf 1501/02 Wendel Bender M. Jeremias Friedrich Reuß 1529 Hans Doderer 1802–1805 M. Gottfried Ludwig Zenneck nach 1530 Johann Schmidlin 1805–1811 M. Wilhelm Ludwig Christmann 1542–1550 Johann Wacker 1811–1819 M. Wilhelm Friedrich Mögling 1550–1552 Martin Rauber 1819–1831 M. Friedrich Heinrich Knauß 1559–1577 M. (=Magister/teacher) Georg Märklin 1831v1836 Dr. Gustav Friedrich Sigel 1511–1587 Michael Sattler 1837–1842 Johann Georg Leibfahrt 1587–1594 M. Johann Jakob Stehlin (Stählin) 1842–1852 Eduard Christoph Fürchtegott Adam 1594–1602 M. Berthold Höck 1852–1860 Karl Gottlieb Keller 1602–1607 M. David Weltz 1860–1868 Paul Speidel 1608–1620 M. Johann Schreitmüller 1869–1872 Hermann Ehemann 1621–1622 M. Christoph Lutz 1872 Dr. Hermann Nast 1622–1626 Johann Conrad Weltz 1873–1875 Adolf Seeger 1626–1635 Johann Bloß 1876–1881 Otto Christian Mayer 1635–1636 Hans Thomas Kästner 1881–1885 Heinrich Krockenberger 1636–1637 Georg Friedrich Krämer 1885–1887 Friedrich Raunecker 1637–1648 Johann Schweickhardt (Schweickart) 1887–1891 Robert Naser 1648–1660 Brechtold Krafft 1892 Dr. Karl Breinig 1660–1662 Johann Gabriel Werner 1892–1897 Hermann Zimmer 1662–1663 M. Gottfried Lang 1898–1906 Karl Bihl 1663–1670 Georg Petr. Stephani 1906–1911 Adolf Weber 1670–1679 M. Johann Michael Schnell 1911–1916 Dr. Erwin Herrmann 1679–-1684 M. Eberhard Friedrich Jenisch 1916–1918 Franz Betz und Alfons Schneiderhan 1684–1690 M. Johann Ulrich Fesenbeck 1918–1921 Dr. Paul Würthle 1690–1693 M. Johann Jakob Widmann 1921–1927 Hermann Mößner 1693–1709 Johann Jakob Ostermaier 1927–1931 Dr. Isidor Alber 1709–1717 M. David Böhm (Behm) 1931–1939 Walter Riethmüller 1718–1725 M. Johann Jakob Hammer (1717/18 as a vicar) 1939–1968 Dr. Gerhard Aßfahl 1725–1737 M. Johann Adam Zimmermann 1968–1993 Rainer Oberhauser 1737–1747 M. Johann Gottfried Körner 1993–2012 Wolfgang Frey 1747–1791 M. Johann Jakob Rappolt 2013-2018 Wolfgang Dietrich 1791–1800 M. Johann Friedrich Breitschwerdt since 2018 Michael Kugel

References

External links Official Website (German) Giovanna-Beatrice Carlesso: The history of the Zabergäu-Gymnasium Brackenheim 2006 (PDF, German)