In this room, it’s best to just go on a discovery tour: Find out which club suits you best, why you always pass by the community center in Lette, what a neighborhood is, how the people of Lette connect with one another, and what wild animals you might spot!
The School
Although Prince-Bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen had ordered the establishment of elementary schools for the first four grades in 1675, it seems Lette got a head start: there was already a school here. The first teachers were clergymen. The children learned mainly the catechism from them.
However, compulsory education could only be gradually implemented because many children had to work on farms. They only had time for school in the winter. But by the end of the 19th century, most people in the Münsterland region could read and write.
This building is the former school in Lette, dating from 1877.
Much of our modern understanding of school was already established in the 19th century: Since then, instruction and teacher training have been a matter for the state, even in religious and private schools. Compulsory schooling lasted for at least 8 years; today, depending on the state, it is 9 or 10 years. The choice of secondary school was to be based on the child’s interests and abilities. This means that the parents’ religion, wealth, and social status should not play a role in the child’s educational opportunities.
In a quiz, you can guess what the government hoped to achieve with each type of school.
Heimat
The word “Heimat” comes from Old High German. At that time, “Heimoti” referred to a person’s place of origin or residence—it was likely a legal term. Especially in the 19th century, it took on a political interpretation and an ideological twist. Today, it’s back in vogue. Yet it remains a complex term, as it carries connotations of nostalgia and idyll, as well as a sense of distinction from the supposedly “other.”
Here you can read the word “Heimat” in all the regional languages spoken by people of the 56 nationalities in Lette.
The next room is the last one in the Lette Local History Museum.