School Museum A Journey Through History

In 1998, VS opened its school museum to mark its 100th anniversary and has showcased the permanent exhibition “The Classroom: School Furniture in the 20th Century” ever since. Visitors experience a unique journey through the history and development of national and international school architecture from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.

History at the Museum

We have not only brought together school furniture from over 100 years, but also architectural models, historical photos, learning materials, and educational manifestos. They form a kaleidoscope that illustrates the development of the classroom in the permanent exhibition.

We are particularly proud of the fact that our furniture often stood – and still stands – in the most progressive schools of their time. Reason enough to trace the exciting path for you in the VS School Museum.

1900

Away From the Barracks School

Monastery and barracks: these were the two models for schools in the 19th century. But this changed with the life reform movement around 1900. New goals and teaching methods were introduced and school buildings and facilities changed.

In addition to theoretical mental work, manual labor also became more important; new findings on hygiene and ergonomics drove the reforms forward. Production also moved with the times: to meet the great demand, school furniture was soon manufactured industrially rather than by hand.

The Rettig bench (patented in 1893) is the most successful type of German school bench around 1900, with a market share of around 50 per cent. The raised footrest enables smaller bench spacing thanks to the space-saving entry and exit. The patent is held by Paul Johannes Müller, one of the shareholders of VS (founded in 1898 as ‘Vereinigte Schulbankfabriken’).

The Rettig bench is simply laid on its side to make cleaning the floor easier. The inkwells have a swan neck so that nothing spilled out from inside of the bench.