The small community of Keilhau lies in a side valley, near the middle of the Saale River. Since 1993, the village has been affiliated with the neighbouring city of Rudolstadt. Very little is known about the early history of Keilhau. Local lore recalls that at the time of Fröbel’s arrival, the village was not in an attractive state. The 1817 transfer of the General German Education Institute (founded in 1816 in Griesheim) to Keilhau brought new life to the village.

Today, the Fröbel philosophy continues to be taught in the former buildings of the General German Education Institute. The Free Fröbel School is the only school in the world that traces its establishment directly to Friedrich Fröbel and his ally, Wilhelm Middendorf.

The Free Fröbel School is home to the Fröbel Archive, which features a museum, a historic library, a rock and mineral collection, and a new school library, all of which are open to the public by prior arrangement. The archive is a valuable and unique collection that documents nearly two hundred years of Thuringia’s school culture.

The archive, which is operated by the New Thuringia Fröbel Association Keilhau (NTFV), is also connected to the Fröbel Research Centre Keilhau. This also comes under the auspices of NTFV, with the aim of developing and establishing practical projects with partners in Germany and Japan, and to create a new momentum for Fröbel’s philosophy worldwide.

Further information about Keilhau can be found on the community's website.

Photo: View of Keilhau, 1895