Schnepfenthal Salzmann School

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The Schnepfenthal Institution (Salzmannschule Schnepfenthal) is a school founded in 1784 by Christian Gotthilf Salzmann, originally for the purpose of raising the children of his large family and testing new educational theories. The curriculum borrowed ideas from John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and especially Johann Bernhard Basedow, the founder of the first Philanthropinum, a progressive experimental school in Dessau. Conformity to natural law and enlightenment were its watchwords; great attention was given to practical life and student assessment; the modern languages were carefully taught; and physical education was introduced by one of the teachers at Schnepfenthal, Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths. He is considered the founder of modern physical education and gymnastics.

One of its famous students was the German geographer Carl Ritter.

Today the school is a state secondary boarding school specializing in languages. Pupils learn English and Latin from 5th grade, Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese from 6th grade, and two of the four languages French, Spanish, Italian, or Russian from 8th and 9th grade, respectively.

Schnepfenthal belongs to Waltershausen, a city in Thuringia.