On 16 March 2011 His Royal Highness Prince Hakoon from Norway visited students of «The bilingual way at FGZ» together with his friends, John Hope Bryant, Advisor to Barack Obama, and Pekka Himanen, Professor of Philosophy and Head of the Institute for Information and Technology in Helsinki.

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Freies Gymnasium Zürich receives a new look. The logo has been redesigned meaning that the school takes on a new fresh and contemporary look. In a series of steps all the school’s communication media will be adapted to the new corporate design.

The Bilingual Middleschool Zurich is integrated into Freies Gymnasium Zürich. The partner school, Lakeside School Küsnacht, sells its 50% share to Freies Gymnasium Zürich. The limited company is dissolved and the bilingual education programmes are integrated into Freies Gymnasium Zürich’s range of education programmes.The close collaboration with Lakeside School is is now regulated with a cooperation contract.

With the opening of our bilingual lower school of the Gymnasium, it is now possible for students to  go bilingual all the way - from primary school right through to Swiss Matura.

Following an intensive selection process, Dr. Thomas Bernet, Head of School of Academia Engiadina, is elected as Principal of Freies Gymnasium Zürich.

The incumbent principal, Beat Sommer, answers the call to head up the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz. Dr. Hans Berger becomes interim principal.

Launch of the Bilingual Middleschool Zurich with immersion teaching in English / German. Freies Gymnasium Zürich initiates this new education programme in collaboration with its partner school, Lakeside School Küsnacht.  

From August 2000, students will be able to take a new study programme with “Economics and Law” as core subject culminating in the Swiss bilingual Matura. From the fourth year, a range of subjects will be taught in English.

Freies Gymnasium Zürich launches its website.

Foundation of the Theaterwerkstatt Freies Gymnasium Zürich. Starting in 1999, the Theaterwerkstatt stages a major drama production featuring our students every year. The Theaterwerkstatt Freies Gymnasium Zürich benefits from professional leadership in the main artistic areas and has become an important institution in our school.

Core and supplementary subjects replace the former Matura format

The Gymnasium education programme, from year 3, is governed by the new MAR regulations. Core and supplementary subjects replace the former Matura types.

The incumbent principal, Rev. Markus Zbären, retires. Beat Sommer, Coordinator of Boarding at the Lyceum Alpinum in Zuoz, is elected as new principal.

For the first timein the Canton of Zurich English is introduced on the timetable for the 1st secondary class and, from the second term, for the 1st Gymnasium classes.

In conjunction with the rescheduled start of the school year from spring to late summer, it is decided to abolish the probationary period to spare parents and students many sleepless nights.

The first class of the Economics Gymnasium takes the Matura examinations. The Matura Type E programme at Freies Gymnasium Zürich receives state recognition.

A computer room makes it possible to introduce IT teaching at the school.

In order to reply to requests for more supervision and to adapt to social changes, this year sees the start of homework support and school lunches. The demand for these services experiences a steady increase over the following years and have become an important part of our school structure today. The voluntary lunchtime support offered by mothers and fathers strengthens the bond between parents and Freies Gymnasium Zürich.

Opening of the Economics Gymnasium

The Economics Gymnasium opens with a class of 21 students.

The school’s centenary celebrations open on 7 May with an official ceremony in the Neumunster Church followed by lunch on the school premises. Two hundred invited guests, including many from the world of politics and business, as well as all those belonging to the school enjoy the speech given by the Rector of Zurich University, Professor H. H. Schmid, as well as numerous good-humoured toasts and after-dinner speeches. In June, on the day dedicated to the students, the entire school travels to Obersee by special train, enjoys sports and games on the banks of the lake in Bollingen and then strolls to Rapperswil where the school community boards a steamship to take everybody back to Zurich. A lively school party with 2,000 visitors, all members of the Freies Gymnasium Zürich extended family, brings the celebrations to a grand conclusion on 28 October.

In 1988 the Education Council of the Canton of Zurich grants permission for Freies Gymnasium Zürich to run the Matura Type E programme from the 1989/90 school year.

Rev. Scheitlin resigns and Rev. Markus Zbären is named as new principal. Like his predecessors, he possesses the remarkable gift of exuding great human warmth while, at the same time, being very down to earth and purposeful - all qualities essential for successful school leadership.

The Matura graduates establish the “"Trübelitag" tradition by distributing fresh grapes (Swiss German: Trübeli) to the entire school community on the day that they complete their Matura exams. At this time the Matura exams took place in autumn. After the rescheduling of the beginning of the school year in 1989, the dates of the Matura were also changed. Nevertheless the "Trübelitag" tradition has continued in another form (although without fresh grapes).

The steady increase in the number of pupils during the 1950s leads to the building of the new school premises in Seefeld alongside such good neighbours as the Neumünster Community Centre and the Riesbach Gymnasium.

IBM Switzerland donates one of the first magnetic card computers to Freies Gymnasium Zürich inviting the school to try out the system. The Computer Studies lessons are taught by Heinz Bachmann and Erich Bernhard. For years, the course takes place during a special project week and is only integrated into the timetable in 1989.

In the magazine “Die Frau” (1967) you could read the following article: "If you enter a classroom containing a language laboratory in Freies Gymnasium Zürich, you may think you have walked into a telephone box by mistake: you can see boys and girls wearing headphones sitting in small booths.” The installation, which was donated to the school, allows the teacher (E. Jaccard) sitting at the control panel to talk to each individual student while the others are practising sentences with the aid of pictures and text.

In January 1961, Freies Gymnasium Zürich is honoured by a visit from Field Marshal Montgomery who in true “Monty” fashion decrees that the whole school should have two half-day holidays - this very much to the surprise of school management and to the delight of the students (and teachers).

Rev. Kurt Scheitlin is elected as principal. Fifty years earlier, Professor von Schulthess had expressed the hope that common ground, yet to be discovered, could be found in the relationship between science and religion and their differing view of the world. Now in stark contrast to this statement, Scheitlin writes: "It is not the job of the Protestant Grammar School to protect its students from the tension between knowledge and religion, between reason and revelation, rather the contrary is true: the school should take on the challenge of making its students aware of this tension."

Freies Gymnasium Zürich now enjoys a certain size and the decision is made to hold the first school party that is not intended to mark another important event. It goes without saying that the principal, Arthur Fischer, at first expressed his grave concern, “whether such frivolities were compatible with the Gospel and humanism of an almost seventy-year-old school” but he subsequently decided to “drop all his main objections just this once”. The Honky Tonk, College Jazz Hall, Modern Club and the Cave St.-Germain welcomed revellers to a taste of the Jazz Age.

Rev. von Orellis resigns. The incumbent Vice Principal, the 64-year-old Arthur Fischer, is named as principal. Under his leadership, Freies Gymnasium Zürich takes decisive steps towards expanding still further. From now on there will be two first classes in the Gymnasium each year. He also suggests that the Board should consider building a new school.

The foundation of the Student Organisation may have been prompted by the numerous practical activities initiated during the war years, such as the land army or organised groups of students registering sightings of military aircraft or the communal working of a potato field in Rüschlikon. Whatever the reasons for its foundation, the Student Organisation only adhered to its original carefree objective of organising “all sorts of things” for three years; however it later enjoyed a revival.

On the event of the 50th anniversary of the school, Rev. von Orelli writes a review of the history, development and distinctive character of the school. In a period of internal and external change and turmoil, this review serves as an evaluation and analysis of our school as it stands.

An important part of the tradition of Freies Gymnasium Zürich is the remarkable loyalty of many former students to our school. In 1930, this prompted the founding of the Alumni Association which actively supports and follows school developments and events.

Rev. Beck resigns as principal to be succeeded by Rev. Hans von Orelli. Student numbers rise to 250. "Orelli is the kind of leader who does not want to do everything himself and who gives other capable teachers space to take on responsibilities. This leads to a new age of collaboration and consolidation of the teaching team which has stood our school’s rich sense of tradition in good stead over decades and, in fact, right up to the present day. "

After 22 years, the school moves into its new building in St. Annagasse and is granted the right to have a "House Matura"; this is followed by state-recognition in 1912.

The introduction of 40-minute lessons allows the school to give its students three school-free afternoons a week. This very popular arrangement only changes when the 5-day week is introduced.

In 1904, the “family school” can already claim to be a fully-fledged Gymnasium, which, in contrast to the boys-only cantonal Gymnasiums, also admits girls.

The private Gymnasium finds itself in a difficult financial situation meaning that the closing of the school can only be averted by the members of the Board guaranteeing the deficit. What the school needs is a strong personality who sees this appointment as “his purpose in life”; a principal to replace the current part-time acting principal Mr Ruegg. Rev. Bernhard Beck is appointed as the first full-time principal and not only is his request for a new desk granted, the school also receives generous donations from benefactors. This change in fortunes is interpreted as a blatant sign of “God’s will”.

A preparatory class is introduced to follow the fifth primary school class. The School Association is founded with teachers, parents and friends of the school as members. The name of the school is changed to “Freies Gymnasium”.

The founder of Freies Gymnasium dies at the early age of 51. Friends and former colleagues publish a book in his memory.

The family business gradually grows into a school. In order to satisfy the constant requirement for more space, the school moves to the premises in Sihlwart at 26 Gerechtigkeitsgasse in Selnau.

Some other fathers request that their children may also participate in lessons and permission is granted by the cantonal government. The name of the school: Privatgymnasium. Teaching aim: transfer to the upper school of the cantonal Gymnasium. Lessons are moved to the former Glockenhaus. More teachers are employed.

Five fathers, Mr Höhr-Hirzel (bookseller), Rev. Walder-Appenzeller (clergyman), Mr Frick-Morf, Mr Adolf Guyer-Zeller and Mr Bachofner (Principal of the Seminar Unterstrasse College) would like their sons to receive an education based on positive Christian principles. Christian Wagner, graduate of the Seminar Unterstrass College, is appointed the first teacher. Lessons begin in the living room of Christion Höhr’s home. Nobody dreams of founding a school.