Das Waisenstift zu Varel

The Varel Orphanage is one of the oldest orphanages in Germany and one of the oldest still existing institutions that has continuously maintained an educational mission under changing historical conditions, rooted in the founding intentions of Anton I. of Oldenburg. The orphanage in Varel has a tumultuous history. From its beginnings as a foundation in the 17th century, it spans decades as an orphanage under the supervision of the Oldenburg state, through the time of National Socialism, a publicly recognized crisis in the mid-1960s, a new beginning as a therapeutic children's home, to the present day.