Fachschule für Blumenkunst Weihenstephan
About the School
Fachschule für Blumenkunst Weihenstephan is a vocational college of
further senior vocational education.
The school was founded in 1925 by Franz Kolbrand. Because of the political
situation in Germany the school was closed temporarily in 1935.
In 1971 some organizational changes were made, and now the school operates
on a two-years course schedule.
The school offers advanced courses of further senior vocational education,
which enable students to attend colleges of applied scienes. Students qualify
with the master diploma for florists.
Applicants to the school are requested to have completed three years of in-company
training.
The school promotes and teaches a strictly non-decorative style. Locally grown flowers are used preferably to create natural, floral arrangements and objects, for instance room installations and church decorations. The school regularly is requested to make decorations for official events for the local university and community and for national events like flower shows or garden fairs. It has built up a high reputation, nationally and internationally.
Subjects / Schedules / Terms
Subjects taught at the school are:
- botanical studies
- theory of design
- German literature/linguistics
- practical flower design
- landscape architecture
- economic studies
- science and mathematics
- theory of design
- practical design and drawing
- nature studies
- data processing
- psychology of organization
Students attend 30 academic and 8 practical lessons per week during their
first year of the couse. In the second year they do 21 academic lessons and
15 practical lessons.
There are 5 days of school every week.
Except Mondays and Fridays school finishes at 5.45 p.m.
Like all public schools in Germany, there is a two-week holiday at Christmas,
Whitsun and Easter and a one-week holiday during February and in autumn round
All Saints Day. In summer, school stops for six weeks.
Number of Students / Teachers
At the moment there are 41 students and 9 teachers at the school.
The principal of the school is Marianne Wieler.
The students’ age ranges from 20 to 40 years, but the majority of the
students are between 22 and 27 years old. About 90 % of them are female. The
school recruits its students from all over Germany and abroad.
Fees
As it is a public school the students don’t have to pay fees, but they have to pay for their own material and some special excursions. The annual expenses amount to about 1.000 Euro.
The Building
As the school is situated on the campus of the College of Applied Sciences for Agriculture and Gardening Weihenstephan, it can make use of the university’s plants and greenhouse products.
Qualifications / Job Opportunities
The students finish with the national diploma for Government Approved Florist and with an additional qualification as florist-trainer and entrance qualifications for colleges or applied science.
Job opportunities after school include:
- working as master in a flowershop
- opening one’s own flowershop
- continuing further education in order to qualify as a teacher/trainer
- working in a flowershop abroad as the school can rely on a vast international network of former students and partners