Theologische Hochschule Friedensau

Friedensau Adventist University (in German "Theologische Hochschule Friedensau") is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian school system.

Located in the village of Friedensau, approximately 120 km from Berlin, the university was established in 1899 and is the oldest Seventh-day Adventist owned university in Europe. Its courses of study and degrees are accredited by the German government. Classes are offered in both German and English and the campus is bilingual.

As of 2017, the university had 200 students from 30 countries taking accredited German language courses, including students studying abroad for a year and transferring their studies taken at Friedensau back to their home institutions.

The university is also home to a guesthouse, conference facilities, and an outdoor adventure campground, all of which attract visitors each year.[citation needed]The village of Friedensau is home to the Seniorenheim retirement village.

In the autumn of 1899, the Seventh-day Adventist Church purchased a centuries-old mill at Friedens, along with the surrounding village and farmland, to found its first school in Europe. On November 19, 1899, lessons began for the first seven pupils.

Within the next ten years, a collection of large school buildings and living quarters emerged on the campus that still stand today and are local landmarks synonymous with Friedensau. Based on a holistic pedagogic concept, a sanatorium, workshops and a health-food factory were added, providing opportunities for both practical work experience and income for the pupils at the same time. In this way, Friedensau grew quickly to become a Missions and Industrial School which was visited by up to 250 pupils each year until the First World War.

During the First World War, the War Department set up a military hospital in the buildings. It was not until 1919 that training could be resumed once more. In the following years, new courses were offered (home economics, preparation for nurses' training, 10th-grade secondary education, business and child care). In 1923, the school was renamed to "Mission Seminary Friedensau". In 1930, the seminary was awarded state approval for courses in home economics and business by the chief administrator of the government for the region of Magdeburg.