Exhibition "Friedrich Froebel: Educator and Innovator" in the Erfurt University Library

The exhibition also marks the start of a project by the IFS German Section to design and realise a permanent and travelling exhibition entitled "Friedrich Froebel and Froebel's pedagogy". The aim is to show and promote the relevance of Froebel's pedagogy for education, upbringing, science and politics. Original editions of Froebel's publications (first and later editions) from the holdings of the Froebel Research Centre at the University of Erfurt and from the holdings of the University Library of Erfurt are on display, as well as some play and learning aids developed by Friedrich Froebel. Visitors to the exhibition can also try out their own creative skills with the help of various suggestions and instructions.

Friedrich Froebel, born in Oberweißbach in Thuringia in 1782, is one of the most internationally renowned German educators and innovators. It was his idea and practice of the kindergarten that spread the most. The German word "Kindergarten" was borrowed into several languages around the world, including English. Froebel's pedagogy was based on the observation of children and their respective environments, on intensive reflection on his own life and professional experiences, the study of various sciences and on an ideological and spiritual determination and commitment. As Friedrich Froebel made a concerted effort to pass on his pedagogical ideas during his lifetime – he gave lectures, cultivated intensive contacts with interested contemporaries and founded the training of kindergarten teachers, which he also institutionalised – he initiated a broad reception process during his lifetime that continues to this day.