History

1919 – 1929

• 1919: Mr. Anton Kraus returns to Colombia with his family after the First World War, and on the ship, he meets Professor Elisabeth Schrader. She was traveling to Colombia as a governess for a German family. Ms. Schrader was interested in Mr. Kraus’s proposal to create a German “Kindergarten” in Bogotá, which later led to the founding of a German school in Bogotá.
• 1921: On October 4th, 1921, a group of German friends founded the “Deutscher Schulverein” (German School Association) to establish a school, which would become the first international school in Bogotá.
• 1922: In February 1922, the campus called “Deutsche Schule in Bogotá – German School” opened its doors, thus fulfilling the founders’ wish to offer German and Colombian children the possibility of having access to the German language and culture.The soul of this initiative was Mr. Anton Kraus, who entrusted the task to the German teacher Elisabeth Schrader. This teacher spent two years at the head of the school and, later, moved on to the German School in New York.Forty Colombian and German children, including Mr. Kraus’ children and those of the school’s other founders, began classes in German according to German programs in a rented house on Calle 15 and Carrera 9.Later, Professor Fritz Gericke, a graduate of the German school service, was hired as the school’s principal. From the first year of operation, another six teachers were hired.

  This promising start was possible thanks to the support of the German community in Bogotá and to the collaboration that Mr. Kraus received from interested and committed people, such as Mr. Ernesto Schmidt-Mumm and Mr. Carlos Winz. The German Government offered its help from the beginning, with financial contributions and leaves of absence granted to German teachers so the school could hire them.

• 1925: Due to the increase in students, it was necessary to rent a larger house. In 1925 the school moved to Carrera 8ª and Calle 19, where it operated until 1933. In that year, it was possible to acquire a large house with large patios, located on Calle 20 between Carreras 12 and 13.

1930 – 1939

• 1931: The German School quickly achieved remarkable progress and great prestige. In 1931 its creation was formalized as a non-profit organization under the name “Deutscher Schulverein (German School).”
• 1935: In 1935, the German School awarded high school diplomas to its first students, thus allowing them to enter national universities. Simultaneously, the school obtained permission from German educational authorities to give the corresponding essential secondary education exams, “Mittlere Reife,” with good results.
• 1938: In 1938, the acquisition of a plot of 27,115 square yards was achieved, in the “El Retiro” neighborhood, for the subsequent construction of a complex of buildings with pedagogical specifications. However, political problems that arose due to the start of the Second World War truncated that purpose.

1940 – 1949

1950 – 1959

• 1950: March 31st: the first general assembly of the Deutsche Schulverein was held after the end of the Second World War. The Alejandro Von Humboldt Corporation was created, replacing the Deutsche Schulverein, with Pablo Bickenbach as President.
• 1951: Colegio Andino’s third house was rented, and Dr Müller delivered said school to the Deutsche Schulverein. The construction of a new school building on a lot in the El Retiro neighborhood is announced. The project of the famous Hungarian architect Nicolás Von Nessa was chosen, and the construction management was given to the firm Ibañez & Manner.
• 1952: On February 8th, 1952, in the presence of the highest ecclesiastical and civil authorities, Monsignor Emilio de Brigard blessed the school’s first buildings. This fulfilled the desire of the founders and school directors to return the trust of Colombian and German parents with a modern and well-endowed educational organization, for which they had the invaluable advice and financial and pedagogical support of the German Government.
  Far from being satisfied with the successes achieved and demonstrated by the school’s dramatic growth, the Alexander von Humboldt Cultural Corporation has not rested in its efforts to promote the campus’s development and respond to the expectations of parents, students, and the faculty.
• 1953: The Ministry of Education approves the school’s primary and secondary sections. The school begins work again with 500 students and 38 teachers.
• 1954: Five classrooms are inaugurated, and Bernhard Schulz is appointed as the school’s new principal.
• 1956: Hernán Beltz, future Minister of Public Works of Colombia, graduates from the high school.
• 1958: Walter Held is appointed as President of the Alejandro Von Humboldt Corporation.
• 1959: The school’s alumni association is founded. Pascual Leuschener is appointed as the school’s new principal.

1960 – 1969

• 1960: Fifth-grade students begin editing the student newspaper, El Cálamo. Karl von Wahlert is appointed director of the Alejandro Von Humboldt corporation.
• 1961: The gym at Carrera 11 and Calle 82 is completed.
  Rudolph Hommes, future Minister of Finance of Colombia, graduates from the high school.
  The student newspaper El Guía is created and, thus, competes with El Cálamo.
  The school’s uniform is established.
  The Colombo-German Society for Social Work (Sociedad Colombo Alemana de Labor Social – SCALAS) is created.
• 1962: The school’s Student Council is created.
  The main building is built.
  The building of the chapel begins.
  Waldemar Sauer is appointed as the school’s new principal.
  Wolfang Scmidt-Mumm is appointed as President of the Alejandro Von Humboldt Corporation.
• 1963: In June, the first edition of the Andinos student newspaper appears, created by the Student Council.
• 1964: With the help of the Alejandro Humboldt Cultural Corporation and the Board of Directors, the following were created: the 50-meter racetrack, the high and long jump facilities, and the ball game playing field.
  Construction of the chapel is completed.
  Georg Schmild is appointed as the school’s new principal.
  The school’s mascot appears for the first time, a cat designed by Enrique Sierra.
  SCALAS receives legal status through Resolution 0927 of March 11th, 1964.
• 1965: Plans are presented for the school’s expansion to include the creation of a biology lab to carry out experiments and store collections. Along with a music room with an annex to store instruments, a library for students with a reading room, new bathrooms, 16 to 18 classrooms to replace the temporary ones, and install a domestic and culinary section for girls and the inclusion of a commercial area consisting of 6 courses.
• 1966: Stained glass is imported for the school chapel.
  Erwin Kraus is appointed as director of the Alejandro Von Humboldt Corporation
• 1967: After a transition period, the school changes from calendar A to B.
  The uniform bank is created so that parents can acquire a second-hand school uniform at an economical price.
  A large exhibition of the school’s drawings and arts and crafts is visited by 2600 people, with comments in the press and on television.
  The primary school library is created. With the donation of 345 books by parents and 29 by bookstores, the primary school library has 526 books.
  The Archbishop of Meunchen and Freising and Cardinal Dr. Julus Doepfner visit the school.
  Construction of a new section of primary school begins.
• 1968: In February, three Mercedes Benz buses and three Magirus-Deutz buses arrive at the school.
  Another donation of stained glass for the chapel is received, inaugurated, and blessed by a German bishop during the World Eucharistic Congress in August.
  In the framework of the 39th World Eucharistic Congress held in Bogotá, Cardinal Dr. Julius Döpfner of Munich and the President of the Evangelical Church Council, Dr. Hermann Ditzfelbinger, met in the celebration of Eucharistic service in the school’s gymnasium.
• 1969: March 26th: the Third Meeting of the German Schools in Latin America, organized by the school, begins.
  In May, work begins on the school’s expansion, which entailed building a floor above the gym, bathrooms and dressing rooms next to the gym and the bleachers, and expanding the hall on the main building’s second floor.
  The demolition of old primary school classrooms and construction of a 3-story building with 20 classrooms and bathrooms also begins.
  The General Secretary’s Office is expanded.
  The school participates in national drawing exhibitions and, through the institute of culture, in a display of children’s drawings in Japan.
  The school participates in Athletics Sports Competitions at the National University of Colombia stadium.
  Andinitos student newspaper is born, edited by primary school students.

1970 – 1979

• 1970: A new primary school building is delivered (except for the 3rd floor, which is unfinished).
  Colegio Andino sponsors the “Las Quintas” neighborhood school in collaboration with the Colombo-German Society for Social Work.
• 1971: March 27th: The President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Gustav W. Heinemann, visits the school.
  Construction of the school’s new primary school section is completed.
• 1972: March 6th: The school’s 50-year celebrations begin; President Misael Pastrana Borrero and Minister of Education, Luis Carlos Galán, attend, and the school is awarded the Cruz de Boyacá. The festivities include dances, songs from Colombia, and a soccer match between a team of parents and students until March 18th.
  Project E begins to offer low-income children the possibility of studying at the school. They must pass a series of rigorous examinations designed to measure their intelligence, following an intense selection process in several stages.
• 1973: This year, the Student Council organizes a Bingo.
• 1974: By the end of the school year, the school has 1,615 students: 928 Colombians, 612 Germans, and 75 students of other nationalities.
  Miguel Held is appointed as President of the Alejandro Von Humboldt Corporation.
  The land is given to SCALAS for the construction of a student center.
• 1975: In 1975, the ten-hectare plot of land (today 12.5 ha.) on which the school currently stands is acquired in the north of Bogotá and is inaugurated in October 1981 to celebrate the school’s sixtieth anniversary.  This site has been developed over time to achieve the complete facilities offered, always up to date thanks to constant expansions, remodeling, and rigorous maintenance.
  The Colegio Andino is equipped to offer its students and teachers the best possibilities to excel in intellectual, sports, and cultural areas. Its purpose is to provide students with optimal comprehensive training and teachers with a conducive and stimulating environment to develop their vocation.
• 1976: High school students in courses V and VI may choose from some of the artistic subjects offered: theater, music, technical drawing, and arts and crafts.
• 1977: The German Schools of Colombia Association is founded on the initiative of the German Government.
• 1978: A 3-year process linked to the academic program ends. This leads to the creation of a governing board (SCHAK) and the centralization of information and academic control in a registry office. New regulations on exams and homework, meetings and conferences, discipline, and work with area coordinators are approved.
  The Colegio Andino participates in the German schools’ sports competitions held in Cali.
  May 1st: The school participates in youth sports games at the National University stadium.
• 1979: A new student newspaper appears, El Alacrán.
  The Pedagogical Center (Zentrum Bogotá) is founded in May.
  In November 1979, the Pedagogical Council was created “as a body of Association of German Schools in Colombia.”

1980 – 1989

• 1980: The school’s campus in the El Retiro neighborhood is sold before the imminent move to the new campus in the north.
• 1981: October 17th, 1981: The new school is inaugurated and blessed in the presence of the ministers of education and foreign affairs and the ambassadors of West Germany and Austria. A television crew from West Germany takes some shots of the ceremony.
  President Turbay awards the school the “Francisco de Paula Santander Cross” for “special merits of its work for the benefit of culture, science, and education.”
• 1982: Celebration of the school’s 60 years, with the choir’s participation from the Colegio Alemán in Cali. A theater group presentation also accompanies the festival.
  Project E is renamed the “Programa de Ingreso Superior.” “Higher Income Program.”
  Erwin Kraus is appointed as director of the Alejandro Von Humboldt Corporation.
• 1983: November 18th: The second Alexander Von Humboldt games are held at the school, with selected teams from eight German schools from Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia.
• 1984: Günther Kock is appointed as the school’s new principal.
  Hans Vollert is appointed as the new President of the Alejandro Von Humboldt Corporation.
• 1985: Heinz-Edgar Fischersworring is appointed as the school’s new principal.
  The statutes of the school’s Parents’ Association are approved in September.
  October 31st: Through Ministry of Education resolution no.17578, class hours are reduced at the school and, through resolution 15578, a new minimum plan is authorized for German schools in Colombia.
• 1986: May 14th: Legal status is granted to the school’s Parents’ Association.
  October 30th: Eight Members of Parliament from West Germany visit the school.
• 1987: April 3rd: Father Héctor Gutiérrez is bid farewell after being named Auxiliary Bishop of Cali.
  October 14th: The school’s Parents’ Association holds its first general assembly.
  The Colombo-German Institute for Technological Training (Instituto Colombo-Alemán para la Formación Tecnológica – ICAFT) is founded by the Alejandro Von Humboldt Foundation and the Colombo-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
  A regulation concerning the uniform is introduced in the school.
• 1988: March 10th: The Association of German Schools of Colombia’s Pedagogical Council meeting begins in the school’s Pedagogical Center.
  May 2nd: Construction of the school gym begins.
  April 7th: ICAFT is granted legal status and receives its operating license in June.
• 1989: May 16th: New buildings are inaugurated with the ambassadors of West Germany and Austria and the mayor of Bogotá.
  September 13^th: The V Alejandro Von Humboldt Games begin in Guayaquil, Ecuador, with the school’s participation (along with other German Latin American schools in Caracas, Lima, Cali, Arequipa, Quito, Medellín and Guayaquil).
  The gym and running track are ready for use.

1990 – 1999

• 1990: The school, which returned to using the name Colegio Andino – Deutsche Schule in 1990, has achieved the objective of being a school for convergence, offering children of both nationalities the opportunity to meet and strengthen bonds of friendship of mutual appreciation and understanding.
  The school’s spirit has always been to provide the teaching of the German language and facilitate access to Colombian and German cultural values under the principles of tolerance and respect. The Alejandro von Humboldt Cultural Corporation, a non-profit organization, is apolitical and will promote education based on Christian morals and democratic principles.
  Lothar Strassner is appointed as the school’s new principal
  May 15th: The UNCOLI athletics games organized by the school begin. 17 UNCOLI records were broken in these.
  Peter Raute is appointed as the new President of the Alejandro Von Humboldt Corporation
• 1991: By the end of the 1990-1991 school year, the school had 1,562 students and 127 teachers.
  November 25th: The VI Humboldt Games of the German schools of the Andean region begin, with the Colegio Andino as their host.
• 1992: April 22nd: The event to commemorate the school’s 70th anniversary takes place in the central hall and is attended by 800 guests.
  May 4th: An art exhibition opens to mark the school’s 70th anniversary.
• 1993: March 9th: Sports competitions (Bundesjugendspiele) begin in primary school.
  May 15th: The UNCOLI athletics competitions organized at the Colegio Andino begin.
  November 26th: The UNCOLI athletics competitions organized at the school begin.
• 1994: February 12th: The UNCOLI table tennis championship organized in the Colegio Andino begins.
  March 14th: The First Andean Ecological Encounter is held at the school’s facilities, with the participation of students from 15 schools in the city (most of them belonging to UNCOLI).
• 1995: February 25th: The UNCOLI table tennis championship begins at the school.
  April 28th: UNCOLI athletics competitions begin at the school.
• 1996: April 22nd: The Colegio Andino begins participation in the national games of German schools in Medellín.
  May 12th: The school organizes the UNCOLI table tennis championship.
  November 22nd: The UNCOLI athletics competition in children’s categories begins.
• 1997: The alumni association holds the first German food and drink exhibition.
  April 17th: In the Uribe Uribe room of the National Congress, the House of Representatives presents the “Order of Democracy” to the Colegio Andino.
  In March, the school obtains Internet access for the first time through the company Compuserve.
  April 18th: A solemn act is held with Te Deum to commemorate the school’s 75 years in April. A gala dinner and a dance accompany this.
• 1998: Wolfang Baier is appointed as the school’s new principal.
  The Pedagogical Center closes its doors.
  The Colegio Andino website is created.
• 1999: The school receives the “School of the Environment” award.
  December 11th: The school’s scout group receives accreditation from the Colombian Scouts Association.

2000 – 2009

• 2000: May 7th: National games begin in Cali, with the school’s participation.
  May 19th: The school’s new chapel is inaugurated.
• 2001: In February, a school reinforcement system for students with academic performance problems, the Learning Center, is created.
  October 7th: The school participates in the XII Friendship Games.
• 2002:
  This year, the ICAFT is recognized by Germany as a German vocational training institute abroad.
  May 14th: The school’s 80th anniversary is celebrated.
• 2003: January 23rd: On the 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Eliseo (friendship between France and Germany), there is a meeting between the high school grades of the Colegio Andino and the Liceo Francés.
  May 21st: The athletes participating in the Humboldt Sports Games leave for Quito.
• 2004: March 23rd: The UNCOLI athletics games begin at the school.
  October 11th: The UNCOLI table tennis tournament begins at the school.
  November 8th: The UNCOLI athletics tournament begins at the school.
  November 22nd: The UNCOLI volleyball tournament begins at the school.
• 2005: February 25th: The Andean Swimming Cup takes place.
  April 27th: The UNCOLI athletics tournament begins at the school.
• 2006: Sabina Fahnenbruck is appointed as the school’s principal.
  February 18th: The school participates in the XVI National Games of German Schools in Cali.
• 2007: The celebration of the school’s 85th anniversary of its founding takes place.
• 2008: The school is certified as an “excellent German school abroad.” It is the third German school globally and the first in Europe to receive this certification.
  November 18th: The national games of German schools in Colombia begin with Colegio Andino’s participation.
• 2009: October 20th: A tribute is held for the Humboldt Games athletes.
  In December, the school’s students visit the San Mateo Association Kindergarten, founded by the German-speaking Lutheran community in Bogotá in 1972, sharing their lunchbox with the children and doing a puppet show for them.
  Alexander von Bila is appointed as the new director of the Alejandro Von Humboldt Corporation.

2010 – 2019

• 2010: May 27th: The UNCOLI chess tournament begins at the school.
• 2011: June 3rd: The UNCOLI chess festival begins at the school.
• 2012: In April, 12th graders produce a magazine dedicated to studying alcohol.
  April 10th: A group of students represented the school in the V Model of the European Union, held at the Italian Leonardo Da Vinci school.
• 2013: Jan Fisher is appointed as the school’s principal.
• 2014: This year, the school’s story contest begins.
  In October, Colegio Andino receives the seal of “excellent German school abroad” from German authorities.
  This year, the school’s digital learning project pilot program begins.
• 2015: Colegio Andino reaches 2,000 students for the first time in its history.
  October 17th: A Pedagogical Day is held at the school, with peace as its central theme.
• 2016: In January, the school’s Scout Group participates in the AnamCara National Scout Encounter in the department of Santander.
  Susanne Preiss is appointed as the school’s principal.
  Manfred Schmidt is appointed as President of the Alejandro Von Humboldt Corporation.
• 2017: The school’s digital learning project pilot program ends.
  February 21st: the President of the Republic of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, sends a message to commemorate Colegio Andino’s 95 years of existence.
• 2018: In July and August, the Sommercamp Bogotá 1.0 is held. It provides children between the ages of 3 and 14 with a place for healthy recreation.
  September 2nd: The school participates in the XX National Friendship Games at the German School of Barranquilla facilities.
• 2019: In February, the Youth Debate project at school begins to educate for democratic action.
  September 22nd: The school’s tennis courts are inaugurated with the Andino Open tournament, which was carried out with national figures of this sport such as Santiago Giraldo and Alejandro Falla.
  Christina Streubel is appointed as director of the Alejandro Von Humbolt Corporation.

2020 – 2021

• 2020: March 13th: The school closes due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
• 2021: The Andinitos campus is complete in January.