Schloss Einstein
Encyclopedia
Schloss Einstein is a is a long-running, popular German
television program, designed as a teenage soap opera
, which describes the life of teenagers in the fictional boarding school
Schloss Einstein. The series combines different genres from comedy, action
, drama (first love, problems with parents and schoolmates) and infotainment
(natural science
).
Up to now (November 2011), 680 episodes in 14 seasons have been aired, a milestone in German television programming. Worldwide Schloss Einstein is the longest running fictional television program with children for children. 688 episodes are planned for season 14. A 15th season for 2012 has already been confirmed.
KI.KA
.
Originally only 76 episodes were planned. Because there was a success, the ARD
decided to produce continuations yearly. Up to June 2007, 480 episodes were produced.
The first episode of Schloss Einstein, set in Erfurt
, Thuringia, (tenth season) was aired on January 5, 2008.
At the (fictional) village Seelitz near Berlin in the German state Brandenburg
Dr. Stollberg realizes a dream — he establishes a private school in an old castle named Albert-Einstein
-Gymnasium
, Internat Schloss Einstein. The private school bears the name of the founder of the theory of relativity
because the school is a natural science school. The students abbreviate the long name of the school — and Schloss Einstein is born.
Dr. Stollberg wants to provide an education for his students using his best strength, personal tutoring. Violence is forbidden. Problems that arise should be solved peacefully and if possible by the children themselves. Newcomers receive an older student as "godparent". Of course this does not always go smoothly — but teachers, educators and students have to master their everyday life under a common roof.
, puberty
, friendship
, divorce or unemployment of the parents, envy
, alcoholism, dreams of jobs, the first big love or cabal
s from the schoolmates. In lots of stories, they experience adventures and learn how to manage conflicts — they also have fun with all kinds of tricks, jokes and tom foolery. There is a special tension between the students of the boarding school and the children living in the village.(Seelitz) They do not really appreciate each other but they have to get along with each other. Compromise
and tolerance
are important in these relationships. In the newer episodes, set in the city of Erfurt
, there are no "village students" present. There are however students that attend other schools present from time to time.
Schloss Einstein was shot from 1998 to 2007 on the grounds of the Babelsberg Studios
in Potsdam
(Brandenburg). At this location the interior rooms of the school and additional wings were located — for example ice-cream parlor, nightclub and storage hall. The Jagdschloss Grunewald in Berlin served as wings of the building. Outside filming was done in the Klein Glienicke quarter of Potsdam and at surrounding villages which together form the wings of the film village Seelitz.
Since September 2007 Schloss Einstein has been filmed at the Kindermedienzentrum Erfurt and is produced by Saxonia Media Filmproduktion GmbH. In the show, the school has two different buildings: the school building and the dormroom building. The Kindermedienzentrum Erfurt contains the sets for the SE school. There are classrooms, a cafeteria, hallways, stairs, and even a gymnasium for P.E. class scenes. It also contains the sets for the dormroom building. These include: 6 dormrooms (1 of which is used for both a girls dormroom and a boys dormroom), the janitor's apartment, the entrance hall of the building, and the "Powderhall" (the freetime center for the students.) Outside filming is done at the egapark ground,in the Schlosspark Arnstadt
, and in various places in Erfurt
.
In the representation of the lessons real knowledge flows again and again. So the television program offers entertainment and learning in a similar way; the public broadcasting fulfills its order to provide education in a relaxed way. With this conceptSchloss Einstein is unique worldwide. The television program has been the object of several scientific studies.
The success of popular viewership does not show up only in the high TV ratings. Schloss Einstein is not only shown in Germany, but also in many other countries — for example in Norway
, Russia, Belarus
, Ukraine, Slovakia
, Hungary, Italy
, Liechtenstein, Belgium
and the Netherlands
. Even a school textbook for German schools with themes from Schloss Einstein was published.
for KI.KA under the auspices of MDR and WDR
. Starting in September 2007 Saxonia Media Filmproduktion GmbH took over the production. Schloss Einstein is produced by scripts from more than ten famous television authors.
which were similar. In all opening credits the current actors who play the schoolmates are shown with the respective character names. In the background the viewers can hear the song Die Einsteins feat. Julian – Alles ist relativ. All opening credits until the end of the fourth season had a duration of 47 seconds. As of the fifth season the opening credits and background music were prolonged by seven seconds (= 54 seconds) so a few more actors could be presented. The listeners can hear a minimal difference in quality of the music between the opening credits of the first and the ninth season.
The ninth season features a completely redesigned and "loosened up" opening credits sequence, which lasts 54 seconds. The 19 main characters from the school generations 6 to 9 are now presented on-screen in 13 short scenes showing several characters at once. Teachers, other adults and children (e.g. the village population or guest actors) are omitted.
went to yearly sequels after they knew it was a success. Since then, all seasons of production consist of 52 episodes which are shot in 13 blocks per four episodes.
On June 10, 2007 there was a final ceremony in Potsdam-Babelsberg because of the last shooting day.
.
In addition to the novels there exist three Schloss Einstein Exklusiv (= “Schloss Einstein exclusive”) books where are further told the histories of the main actors belonging to the first season.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
television program, designed as a teenage soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, which describes the life of teenagers in the fictional boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
Schloss Einstein. The series combines different genres from comedy, action
Action genre
The word action has more than one meaning in fiction. Action is one of the fiction-writing modes authors use to present fiction. The term is also used to describe an exiting event or circumstance.-Action as a fiction-writing mode:...
, drama (first love, problems with parents and schoolmates) and infotainment
Infotainment
Infotainment is "information-based media content or programming that also includes entertainment content in an effort to enhance popularity with audiences and consumers." It is a neologistic portmanteau of information and entertainment, referring to a type of media which provides a combination of...
(natural science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
).
Up to now (November 2011), 680 episodes in 14 seasons have been aired, a milestone in German television programming. Worldwide Schloss Einstein is the longest running fictional television program with children for children. 688 episodes are planned for season 14. A 15th season for 2012 has already been confirmed.
History
The first episode was aired on September 4, 1998 on the German television channelTelevision channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
KI.KA
KI.KA
KI.KA is a public non-commercial free television channel based in Erfurt, Germany. It is a joint venture of national public television channels ARD, and ARD's constituent broadcasting institutions – BR, HR, MDR, NDR, Radio Bremen, RBB, Saarländischer Rundfunk, SWR, WDR and ZDF, and is targeted at...
.
Originally only 76 episodes were planned. Because there was a success, the ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
decided to produce continuations yearly. Up to June 2007, 480 episodes were produced.
The first episode of Schloss Einstein, set in Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
, Thuringia, (tenth season) was aired on January 5, 2008.
The program
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
Dr. Stollberg realizes a dream — he establishes a private school in an old castle named Albert-Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
-Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
, Internat Schloss Einstein. The private school bears the name of the founder of the theory of relativity
Theory of relativity
The theory of relativity, or simply relativity, encompasses two theories of Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity. However, the word relativity is sometimes used in reference to Galilean invariance....
because the school is a natural science school. The students abbreviate the long name of the school — and Schloss Einstein is born.
Dr. Stollberg wants to provide an education for his students using his best strength, personal tutoring. Violence is forbidden. Problems that arise should be solved peacefully and if possible by the children themselves. Newcomers receive an older student as "godparent". Of course this does not always go smoothly — but teachers, educators and students have to master their everyday life under a common roof.
Storyline
At the center of the television program is the personal responsibility of teenagers from the classes 6 to 8. Because there are no parents, the children must make decisions for themselves and be prepared for the consequences. The few adults appear as advisers or counselors. The students experience problems like gradesGrade (education)
Grades are standardized measurements of varying levels of comprehension within a subject area. Grades can be assigned in letters , as a range , as a number out of a possible total , as descriptors , in percentages, or, as is common in some post-secondary...
, puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
, friendship
Friendship
Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...
, divorce or unemployment of the parents, envy
Envy
Envy is best defined as a resentful emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another's superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it."...
, alcoholism, dreams of jobs, the first big love or cabal
Cabal
A cabal is a group of people united in some close design together, usually to promote their private views and/or interests in a church, state, or other community, often by intrigue...
s from the schoolmates. In lots of stories, they experience adventures and learn how to manage conflicts — they also have fun with all kinds of tricks, jokes and tom foolery. There is a special tension between the students of the boarding school and the children living in the village.(Seelitz) They do not really appreciate each other but they have to get along with each other. Compromise
Compromise
To compromise is to make a deal where one person gives up part of his or her demand.In arguments, compromise is a concept of finding agreement through communication, through a mutual acceptance of terms—often involving variations from an original goal or desire.Extremism is often considered as...
and tolerance
Toleration
Toleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
are important in these relationships. In the newer episodes, set in the city of Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
, there are no "village students" present. There are however students that attend other schools present from time to time.
Location of shooting
Babelsberg Studios
The Studio Babelsberg, located in Potsdam-Babelsberg, Germany, is the oldest large-scale film studio in the world. Founded in 1912, it covers an area of about . Hundreds of films, including Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Josef von Sternberg's The Blue Angel were filmed there...
in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
(Brandenburg). At this location the interior rooms of the school and additional wings were located — for example ice-cream parlor, nightclub and storage hall. The Jagdschloss Grunewald in Berlin served as wings of the building. Outside filming was done in the Klein Glienicke quarter of Potsdam and at surrounding villages which together form the wings of the film village Seelitz.
Since September 2007 Schloss Einstein has been filmed at the Kindermedienzentrum Erfurt and is produced by Saxonia Media Filmproduktion GmbH. In the show, the school has two different buildings: the school building and the dormroom building. The Kindermedienzentrum Erfurt contains the sets for the SE school. There are classrooms, a cafeteria, hallways, stairs, and even a gymnasium for P.E. class scenes. It also contains the sets for the dormroom building. These include: 6 dormrooms (1 of which is used for both a girls dormroom and a boys dormroom), the janitor's apartment, the entrance hall of the building, and the "Powderhall" (the freetime center for the students.) Outside filming is done at the egapark ground,in the Schlosspark Arnstadt
Arnstadt
Arnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Thüringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest....
, and in various places in Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
.
Conception
Schloss Einstein is a television program for kids which accompanies the viewers through the whole year and offers them identifiable figures. The figures can be judged by the viewers. The viewers can identify with them or reject them. Because the actors are the same age as their viewers, their actions look authentic.In the representation of the lessons real knowledge flows again and again. So the television program offers entertainment and learning in a similar way; the public broadcasting fulfills its order to provide education in a relaxed way. With this conceptSchloss Einstein is unique worldwide. The television program has been the object of several scientific studies.
Awards and success
The television program has received two awards. On March 1999 a jury of 32 children awarded the Goldener Spatz to Schloss Einstein in the category Fiktion kurz (= short fiction) in setting of the eleventh Deutschen Kinder-Film und Fernseh-Festivals (= German children film and television festival). On July 1999 Schloss Einstein won the Goldener Telix from the TV guide Gong in the category Serie oder Film mit Schauspielern (= television program or film with actors).The success of popular viewership does not show up only in the high TV ratings. Schloss Einstein is not only shown in Germany, but also in many other countries — for example in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Russia, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, Ukraine, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Hungary, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Liechtenstein, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Even a school textbook for German schools with themes from Schloss Einstein was published.
Production
Schloss Einstein is a production by ASKANIA MEDIA Filmproduktion GmbH by order the ARDARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
for KI.KA under the auspices of MDR and WDR
Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Westdeutscher Rundfunk is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD...
. Starting in September 2007 Saxonia Media Filmproduktion GmbH took over the production. Schloss Einstein is produced by scripts from more than ten famous television authors.
Opening credits
Between the first and the end of the eighth season there were always new opening creditsOpening credits
In a motion picture, television program, or video game, the opening credits are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. There...
which were similar. In all opening credits the current actors who play the schoolmates are shown with the respective character names. In the background the viewers can hear the song Die Einsteins feat. Julian – Alles ist relativ. All opening credits until the end of the fourth season had a duration of 47 seconds. As of the fifth season the opening credits and background music were prolonged by seven seconds (= 54 seconds) so a few more actors could be presented. The listeners can hear a minimal difference in quality of the music between the opening credits of the first and the ninth season.
The ninth season features a completely redesigned and "loosened up" opening credits sequence, which lasts 54 seconds. The 19 main characters from the school generations 6 to 9 are now presented on-screen in 13 short scenes showing several characters at once. Teachers, other adults and children (e.g. the village population or guest actors) are omitted.
Current opening credits
Starting with the tenth season completely new opening credits were developed. The background music was minimally modified and the length of the opening credits were lengthened. All main characters are presented with their character names. They appear as one or two persons.Chronology
Because the television program gave the show their own genre as Kinder-Weekly (= children weekly) there were no experiences with a series of this nature. ARDARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
went to yearly sequels after they knew it was a success. Since then, all seasons of production consist of 52 episodes which are shot in 13 blocks per four episodes.
Seasons of Production
| Season | Episodes | Episode- number | Date of first Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1–76 | 76 | Friday, September 4, 1998 (5:05 pm)until Friday, February 18, 2000 (5:05 pm) |
| 2 | 77–116 | 40 | Friday, February 25, 2000 (5:05 pm) until Friday, November 24, 2000 (5:05 pm) |
| 3 | 117–168 | 52 | Friday, December 1, 2000 (5:05 pm) until Friday, March 2, 2001 (5:05 pm) Saturday, March 10, 2001 (6:00 pm)until Saturday, November 24, 2001 (6:00 pm) |
| 4 | 169–200 | 32 | Saturday, December 1, 2001 (6:00 pm) until Saturday, July 6, 2002 (6:00 pm) |
| 5 | 201–232 | 32 | Saturday, July 13, 2002 until Saturday, February 21, 2003 (6:00 pm) |
| 6 | 233–272 | 40 | Saturday, February 28, 2003 (6:00 pm) until Saturday, February 15, 2004 (6:00 pm) |
| 7 | 273–336 | 64 | Saturday, February 22, 2004 (6:00 pm) until Saturday, November 22, 2004 (6:00 pm) |
| 8 | 337–392 | 56 | Saturday, November 29, 2004 (6:00 pm) until Saturday, February 12, 2005 (6:00 pm) |
| 9 | 393–428 | 36 | Saturday, February 19, 2005 (6:00 pm) until August 27, 2005 (6:00 pm) Saturday, September 3, 2005 (5:20 pm) until Saturday, March 25, 2006 (5:20 pm) |
| 10 | 429–480 | 52 | Saturday, April 1, 2006 (5:20 pm) until Saturday, September 16, 2006 (5:20 pm) Saturday, September 23, 2006 (5:15 pm) until Saturday, December 2, 2006 (5:15 pm) |
| 11 | 481–532 | 52 | Saturday, January 5, 2008 until Saturday, February 23, 2008 (2 Episodes: 4:50 pm und 5:15 pm) Saturday, March 1, 2008 until Saturday, July 12, 2008 (5:15 pm) Saturday, August 30, 2008 until Saturday, December 13, 2008 (5:15 pm) |
| 12 | 533–584 | 52 | Saturday, January 3, 2009 until Saturday, January 31, 2009 (2 Episodes: 4:45 pm und 5:10 pm) Saturday, February 7, 2009 until Saturday, November 21, 2009 (5:10 pm) |
| 13 | 585–636 | 52 | Saturday, January 2, 2010 until Saturday, December 25, 2010 (5:10 pm) |
| 14 | 637–688 | 52 | since Saturday, January 8, 2011 until Saturday, May 7, 2011 (5:10 pm)after Saturday, March 14, 2011 (2:10 pm) |
Broadcast
New episodes of Schloss Einstein are currently shown on Saturdays at 5:15 p.m. on KI.KA. Starting on March 14, 2011, the new episodes will be shown on Saturdays at 2:10 :p.m. on KI.KA. Older episodes are showen from Mondays to Fridays starting at 2:10 p.m. in the afternoon program of KI.KA.Events
In irregular intervals, different events with the actors of Schloss Einstein take place in all of Germany. Up to now altogether 76 events have taken place (October 28, 2007). To the important or big events belong among other things the Gi’me-5-KI.KA-Party (day for friendship and tolerance, August 31, 2003); the International children’s party (23 Nisan) in Berlin (April 24, 2004); the KI.KA-Party for the 300th episode of Schloss Einstein (June 7, 2004); the Schloss-Einstein-Sommerparty (= Schloss Einstein summer party, June 27, 2005) and the KI.KA. summer tours, which take place each some. It was recently announced (March 2011), that the 2011 KI.KA. Summertour was canceled.On June 10, 2007 there was a final ceremony in Potsdam-Babelsberg because of the last shooting day.
Books
Up to now 16 volumes or novels were published. The volumes 1 to 5 were written by Simon Hauser; the volumes 6 to 10 by Uschi Flacke. In 2000 the book Schloss Einstein – Das Klassenbuch. 100 Folgen Schloss Einstein (= “Schloss Einstein — The classbook. 100 episodes of Schloss Einstein”) was published where are presented the main actors and the contents of the previous episodes. This book was published by vgs verlagsgesellschaft. Moreover the posterbook appeared and a friendship bookFriendship book
Friendship books are small booklets made by stapling paper together, or are sometimes just sheets or strips of paper. They are usually decorated and the person who starts the book writes their name and address as the first person sending the book. People often include a list of interests as well...
.
In addition to the novels there exist three Schloss Einstein Exklusiv (= “Schloss Einstein exclusive”) books where are further told the histories of the main actors belonging to the first season.
Novels
|
|
Exclusive books
- Katharina – Modelträume werden wahr
- Kleine Prinzen
- Nadines Story
More mass media
In 2004 a music album (with many bands)was published, several radio dramas on cassettes and CDs, a magazine for the television program (2001 to 2003), the cookbook Kochen mit Schloss Einstein (= “Cooking with Schloss Einstein”) and a best-of DVD have also been released.External links
- Official website of Schloss Einstein
- Official website of the production company ASKANIA MEDIA Filmproduktion GmbH (includes press reports for the television program)
- Official website of the production company Saxonia Media Filmproduktion GmbH