Friedrich Fröbel Museum

This building in Bad Blankenburg, Germany, held the first kindergarten in the world. Now called the Friedrich Fröbel Museum, it celebrates the vision of the founder of kindergarten. When it was founded in 1837, it marked the inception of a revolutionary education concept that would go on to be replicated around the globe.

Fröbel’s kindergarten was established with the vision of providing a nurturing environment for young children to live and grow. He believed that children should be allowed to explore and engage in play-based activities to develop their physical, emotional, and cognitive skills. This philosophy laid the groundwork for the modern kindergarten system that is widely practiced today.

Fröbel’s principles influenced many educational reformers, including Maria Montessori and Rudolf Steiner, who further expanded upon his ideas and developed their own educational methodologies. Additionally, the kindergarten model served as a foundation for worldwide early childhood initiatives that emphasize the significance of early learning.

A 4-minute walk south of the museum stands the still-active Fröbelhaus kindergarten, where the original kindergarten moved  in 1908.