Volksschule Dorfgastein

The Volksschule Dorfgastein stands in the village of Dorfgastein in Salzburg’s Gastein valley. Built in 1927, it replaced earlier schoolrooms that had moved from the vicarage to the sexton’s house and then to the Stallergut farm. The present building was designed by the Salzburg architects Rehrl and Spindler and opened in October 1927 by Archbishop Ignatius Rieder. The school’s history shows how Dorfgastein educated its children from the 18th century onward. In 1743 Jacob Goldt taught reading, writing and singing while also serving as sexton and organist. By 1784 seventy children were listed as school-age, and soon a second class opened in the Bleiwenghaus under Elisabeth Gruber. After the First World War the school expanded to six classes, and in 1948 it became a five-class institution. Today the school occupies a plain two-storey block in Schulstraße, leading southeast from the village cemetery. Inside, classrooms and a modern hall serve local pupils, while outside a playground and sports field provide space for games. The building’s simple lines recall its 1920s origins, yet inside it has been adapted for today’s teaching needs.