Three Campuses

The first mention of Spetzgart Castle traces back to the 13th century. On 3 May 1929 Schloss Spetzgart became an outlying site of Schule Schloss Salem. In 1933 the Spetzgart Harbour on Lake Constance was built by students of Schule Schloss Salem. The Spetzgart Campus is only minutes away from Campus Härlen, connected by a footpath through a nature preserve area and ravine known as the Spetzgarter Tobel. Their geographical proximity allows for flexible class schedules as well as an overall boarding school programme rooted in a strong sense of community. 

Global Openness by Design

Campus Härlen was erected using the architectural designs of the prize-winning Stuttgart architects Prof. Arno Lederer, Jorunn Ragnarsdottir and Marc Oei on an attractive parcel of land situated on the slopes above Lake Constance at the edge of the town of Überlingen. Along the shores of a large lake surrounded by four countries with a shared European cultural landscape, Salem College is predestined to further develop the internationality of Schule Schloss Salem.

The architectural concept of Campus Härlen provides the members of our school with an extraordinary opportunity to live and learn in a community framework based on the pedagogical values of Salem.

Fostering the Public Space

Hence in the middle of the campus there is a communal building in which one finds an auditorium, theatre facilities, cafeteria, coffee bar, library and administrative offices side by side, creating the common space for encounters between students and their educators. Its funnel effect allows the activities of daily life at the college to be collected, to mix and to merge in all their manifestations.

Enhanced Privacy

The living accommodations for students are located on the northern edge of the property. Residential units consisting of four double rooms with shared baths, are terraced in groups of four, which form a dormitory wing. Between the wings there are green areas and common paths, which allow for a progressive increase in social interactions.  

A School Through and Through

The classroom building is designed as a modest one-storey structure framed by wooden passageways, or pergolas, and functions as a filter between the communal space and the residential area. It divides and unites, can be adapted for various occasions and be used for extracurricular activities.

Interaction between Communal Space and Personal Space

Community has always stood at the centre of Salem's pedagogical endeavours. Living within a community, however, can only succeed when each individual's rights are given due respect. At Salem we want students to experience that duality is a part of life: rest and movement, retreat and encounter, autonomy and community, disciplined work and joie de vivre.

Facts & Figures (Spetzgart Castle & Campus Härlen)