In 1879,
Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin decided to establish a gymnasium in
Doberan, a city of 4000 inhabitants which had been granted town rights in the same year. The school was officially opened by its first principal Wilhelm Kraner on April 21, 1879. It was located at
Dammstraße, today’s
Beethovenstraße. Students at the age of 10 to 14 attended the school in the first year. They were educated by four teachers. Initially a
Progymnasium with only lower grades, the school was granted expansion to a full gymnasium by the grand duke in 1883. After Frederick Francis II died in 1883, his successor
Frederick Francis III named the school
Friderico-Francisceum in honour of the founder. In 1889, the gymnasium moved into its present-day building at
Alexandrinenplatz. The schoolhouse had been constructed by Doberan-based architect
Gotthilf Ludwig Möckel. Female students were allowed to attend the school for the first time in 1927. Several teachers as well as students died in both
World War I and
II. The school was renamed
Goethe-Oberschule after the Second World War and adapted to the new
East German educational system. In 1958, the school was designated an
Extended Secondary School. Starting in 1983, only grade 11 and 12 students attended the school due to an educational reform. After the
German reunification, the school was adjusted to
West German educational norms in 1991. The course system was adopted and students attended the gymnasium from grade 5 on. Additionally, the original name
Friderico-Francisceum has been reintroduced. A newly built extension building right behind the main building opened in 2001, providing modern-day classrooms and teaching material. Due to school closures in
Schwaan and
Neubukow, the gymnasium's enrollment grew in recent years. An auxiliary building at
Verbindungsstraße has been in use since 2017. == Notable alumni ==