Finally new life! Queen Katharina Abbey opens a fantastic playground

Finally new life! Queen Katharina Abbey opens a fantastic playground

On September 16, 2025, the time has finally come: the Queen Katharina Monastery in Stuttgart is happy about its newly designed school yard. After almost ten years without a suitable lounge area, this day is a very special moment for the school community. Headmistress Kathrin von Vacano-Grohmann described the opening of the new courtyard as a “historic day” for students and teachers alike. The conversion was necessary because the old playground had to be abandoned due to the Stuttgart 21 railway project.

The new outdoor area, whose planning was carried out by the Planstatt Senner office, includes not only sports and exercise areas, but also comfortable seating and lounge areas, enriched with green elements. The former school yard was just an asphalted area that didn't invite people to linger. The innovation is therefore a real benefit for the students, who were able to use the completely renovated area to play basketball. The training equipment installed was very well received.

The financial background

The total costs for the renovation amount to around 1.5 million euros. Fortunately, the project was able to be realized by Deutsche Bahn AG, the municipal civil engineering department, the school administration office and the Züblin company. The construction period took around a year, with the plans also including the future relocation of the neighboring gymnasium of the Queen Katharina Abbey, as this will be affected in the course of the opera renovation.

As part of further school construction and renovation projects, the state of Baden-Württemberg is making a total of 142 million euros available this year. These funds will flow into a variety of new construction and renovation projects to improve the educational infrastructure in the country. 43 new construction projects, 74 renovation measures and 11 full-time projects benefit from this financial support, as can be read on the state's website.

A playground for the future

The students were actively involved in the planning, which turned out to be very beneficial. Their interests and wishes are now incorporated into the design of the new meeting place. The schoolyard borders directly on the school building, in contrast to the old replacement playground, which enormously improves accessibility and usage options. The remaining work is about to be completed, so that an optimal environment for physical education will also be available in the near future.

The new playground marks the beginning of a new and promising phase for the Queen Katharina Foundation, which not only offers the students a space for relaxation, but also for sport and exercise. Because one thing is clear: a good playground makes the school more lively!

For more information please visit the links below: City of Stuttgart, Stuttgart News, Country BW.