100 Years of the Association
Friends of Salem
In 1925 - just five years after the founding of Schule Schloss Salem - the ‘Vereinigung der Freunde Salems’ was founded. The aim of the 48 members at the time was to fund scholarships for Schule Schloss Salem. Over time, the association succeeded in attracting many new supporters from within and outside the parent body and the purpose of the donation was changed to project-related funding. The best-known members were school founder Kurt Hahn and the writer Thomas Mann. Today, the ‘Friends of Salem’ have over 230 members and support the educational work of Schule Schloss Salem in a variety of ways.
Today, 100 years after its foundation, the Friends of Salem support numerous projects of the Salem student body and the college. Many areas of Salem benefit from the project-related support of the Friends: the Salem services and guilds, teaching, sports activities, outdoor education, AGs, boarding school life and much more.
Then as now, it is the Friends and sponsors, current and former Salem parents and alumni who, with their regular membership fees, make continuous funding of around 70,000 euros per year possible.
Would you like to find out more about the 100-year history of the Friends of Salem? Then read the report by Marc Zirlewagen.
- OBJECTIVE Provide funds to support Salem's education; maintain and develop Salem; communicate Salem's educational goals to the public
- MEMBERS 226 (parents of pupils, parents of former pupils, Salem alumni, friends and supporters of Salem)
- CONTRIBUTION (recommendation)
€ 300 individual members
€ 500 partner or corporate members - FUNDING Funds totalling around € 60,000 to € 70,000 are invested annually in specific projects and new acquisitions; reserves are built up for major project
- COMMUNITY In addition to the parents' Christmas dinner, the Friends organise an annual general meeting. However, the highlight remains the Night of Friends.
- 1992 - 1996: Building savings contracts for DM 1 million Campus Härlen
- 1997 - 1999: DM 75,000 per year Campus project ‘Ecological living and learning in a boarding school’
- Until 2000: DM 620,000 Campus Härlen (direct donations from members)
- 2017: € 190,000 Salem sports ground
- 2019: € 150,000 Salemer Schrote
- 2024: € 200,000 Härlen hockey pitch
Find out more about our major projects.
Countless large and small donations for teaching, services, sport & experiential education, art & culture, guilds & working groups as well as travel & internationality and ‘Christmas wishes’ (small purchases)
Find out more about our individual projects.
