Sachsen-Anhalt

History of the site

It is an unloved monument, the gigantic building complex of the former Nationalpolitische Bildungsanstalt (Napobi, also Nationalpolitische Erziehungsanstalt - NPEA, or Nationalpolitische Lehranstalt - Napola) on the Großer Ziegenberg in Ballenstedt. The ensemble was built as the only new building in 1936 by the National Socialists as a prototype, who operated it as an elite boarding school. 350 pupils were accommodated in Ballenstedt at a time until 1945. Here they were to internalise the new educational spirit of the Napola by means of a "total pedagogy", in order to be trained to become particularly capable National Socialists for service to the people and the state. The English "Public Schools" and the Prussian cadet schools served as models. Napolas were selective schools. The pupils always wore uniforms. Special emphasis was placed on sports: Early morning sports before breakfast, athletics, handball, swimming, but also boxing, rowing, "cross-country sports" in the forest with introductions to map and compass reading and military camouflage. Consistent attention was also paid to enhancing "German studies" subjects such as German, geography, history, and biology. High school seniors received an honorary dagger engraved with the words "To be more than to appear." With offerings such as gliding, skiing, motorcycling, fencing, boxing, horseback riding, and in various crafts, the Napolas became attractive training grounds.

With the end of the Third Reich, the Napola Ballenstedt was dissolved and the Red Army took over the complex. In 1949 - with the founding of the GDR - the SED moved in and converted the grounds into a training centre, more precisely into the SED district party school for the Halle district. With a bookshop, a restaurant and a consumer shop, the students had everything that was desirable; there was no need to go down to the city. Doctors also came to the grounds for consultation hours. Access to the guarded complex (called the "Kremlin" by the people of Ballensted) was only granted to those who belonged to it, for all others it was the end at the bottom of the hill. During the week, the course participants lived in the converted dormitories. Future leaders were to be ideologically trained in the party school. Anyone who wanted to take on a position in the party, the state or a company had to take part in the ten-month course. By 1989, over 16,000 people had completed the party courses at the "Wilhelm Liebknecht District Party School". Congresses, music and cultural events, cinema evenings and awards were held in the lecture hall.

After 1990, various technical schools used the building complex, which has been a listed building since the 1990s, until 2005. Sports clubs converted the former dining hall into a modern sports hall and are still present here. The association "Forum Großer Ziegenberg - Ballenstedt am Harz e.V." would like to set up a documentation centre in the former gatehouse. Under the title "Lernort Großer Ziegenberg", both eras of the site are to be on display - the National Socialist period and that of the GDR.