The College of Education

The red brick building complex at Bismarckstraße 2, where Leibniz University Hannover is no longer located today, has been used for teacher training since its completion in 1935. The building was designed for the former Pedagogical Academy, which was independent at the time. Proximity to the main building of Technische Hochschule Hannover was therefore irrelevant. When it was completed, it housed the College of Teacher Training, founded by the Nazis, since the Pedagogical Academy had been closed in the meantime.

From 1946, it was home to the newly founded College of Education, which became part of the university in 1978. The buildings mainly housed the university's educational science institutes, which in recent years have moved to Schloßwender Straße 1-5 and other university buildings.

Architect Franz Erich Kassbaum designed the understated complex in the “Neues Bauen” style, which was popular at the time. On the west side, there is a ten-storey tower where music lessons were held. The distance between this tower and the seminar rooms avoided disturbing other courses. The seminar rooms were designed in a semicircular shape and were located on the south side of the building. Unlike conventional lecture halls, the circular shaped design was intended to bring together teaching staff and students.

The considerable growth in teacher training courses since the 1960s resulted in several extensions to the east of the main building. All extensions were based on different architectural styles, resulting in a highly differentiated ensemble of buildings.

In recent years, Leibniz University Hannover has gradually moved out of the premises on Bismarckstraße. At the end of 2011, the building was handed over to Landesliegenschaftsmanagement (LFN).