Overhagen Castle

At Easter 1962, a handful of teachers, a secretary, and a caretaker put their long-prepared plan into action. Made possible by the private school-friendly law in North Rhine-Westphalia, they opened a grammar school under their own sponsorship to realize their own views on schooling, teaching, homework supervision, and meaningful leisure activities. A year later, on June 22, 1962, the solemn inauguration of the Kolleg Schloss Overhagen took place.

On July 30, 1963, the founder and director of the private grammar school Overhagen died in a serious traffic accident on Federal Highway 55 near the former Bad Westernkotten train station. Due to the sudden death of headmaster Dr. Karl Hovermann, the entire school operation threatened to collapse in 1963, but thanks to the commitment of all involved, school operations could be secured, and Senior Study Director Edwin Röttele took over the management of the Gymnasium Schloss Overhagen. Dr. Erika Hovermann took over the management of the boarding school after the heavy loss of her husband and chaired the school association, i.e., the school's sponsor. The school buildings were rapidly expanded in the following years. Buildings for the science wing followed, and in autumn 1963, the conversion of a former farm building, the so-called "Schlossvorburg" (outer bailey), into a gymnasium began. By Christmas 1964, the gymnasium was almost completed.

In February 1965, around 2:30 p.m., the gymnasium caught fire, triggered by welding work between the attic and the slab ceiling. This could be contained by a water chain using water from the moat and finally extinguished by the summoned fire brigade with the help of extinguishing water from the moat. To save the new hall floor, sawdust was spread to absorb the extinguishing water. The damage to the gymnasium, which had been severely affected, could be repaired in the shortest possible time.

In the first years, the school building was constructed by the school itself using old building methods, but later switched to prefabricated construction. Mr. Hendrikks (father of a student) designed the new prefabricated buildings and provided advice and support.

Already in the second year after its founding, the original boys' school transformed into an educational institution for girls and boys, after parents had applied for and received a special permit from the superior school authority. The number of girls increased year by year and in some cohorts reached almost 50 percent. In 1970, the first female graduate could be celebrated.

In 1973, the school building was completed. In the same year, Ewald Wippermann succeeded the outgoing headmaster Edwin Röttele.

However, the "birth dearth" also brought dangers for this still relatively young school, as student numbers were declining in many places. In 1981, the question arose whether the grammar school was still needed. Parents, students, and teachers succeeded in averting the threat of the grammar school's closure. However, the city of Lippstadt also played a significant role in this by relenting on the matter.

Under the direction of Senior Study Director Wolfgang Brülle, Gymnasium Schloss Overhagen currently has 589 students and 35 educators. The castle park with its water features, rich tree population, and lawns still surrounds the school grounds. The actual castle building, where it all began, is now only used for a few rooms by the grammar school. The grammar school is located in a new flat-roof building behind the castle grounds.

On October 20, 2011, the closure of Gymnasium Schloss Overhagen was announced in a letter to parents.

However, due to the renewed commitment of students, parents, and teachers, the school closure could be averted for the time being.