"The building has been part of Weferlingen for more than 120 years," emphasises Daniel Günther, head of the Börde district education office. "Many people associate personal memories with this place. That's why it was clear from the outset that this building should be preserved, but at the same time meet the requirements of modern school operations." The district invested around 4.7 million euros of its own funds in the core refurbishment of the old building. Together with the new replacement building, which will be completed in 2023, the total investment at the site amounts to around 12.7 million euros.
The focus of the refurbishment was the complete creation of barrier-free accessibility, the modernisation of the technical infrastructure and the restoration of the historic building fabric in line with the preservation order. This includes a new lift, modern specialist classrooms, digital whiteboards, comprehensive Wi-Fi, energy-efficient heating and building technology and extensive security systems. Modern teaching, administration and recreation areas have been created on around 2,800 square metres of floor space. These include eight classrooms, specialist cabinets for chemistry and physics, teacher and administration rooms, a student café, an assembly hall and other functional and technical rooms. "Because good schools are not created by good teachers alone. They also need reliable conditions: functioning rooms, modern equipment, security, digital technology and an environment in which concentrated learning is possible," adds Daniel Günther.
The main building of the Freiherr-vom-Stein-Gymnasium was built in 1903 and is a listed building. Characteristic elements such as historic doors, windows and floor coverings were preserved and refurbished in the course of the refurbishment.
With the completion of the work, the structural development of the school site is largely complete. The final measure planned for 2026 is the dismantling of the existing container buildings.