New podcast episode: How the Louisenlund boarding school supports young sailors
Leonie Meyer
· 27.03.2026
Imagine that lessons end and afterwards it's not the gym that's waiting, but a sailing boat on the water. For many pupils at the Louisenlund boarding school on the Schlei, this is exactly what everyday life is like. Our guests explain how school, boarding school life and sailing come together.
Lessons at the boarding school
As a teacher, Anna Schweizer knows the boarding school inside out. She lived on campus with her husband for five years and, in addition to teaching, also supervises pupils in their everyday life at the boarding school. Around 300 young people and around 50 adults live together at Louisenlund. The trainer reports on how togetherness, friendships and learning work on campus.
In the episode, Dr Peter Rösner also dispels the reputation of the "elite school". Although the term persists, the concept focuses primarily on community, personal development and individual support. The head of the foundation explains how the concept is structured. For example, smaller learning groups are formed and the usual larger school classes are dispensed with. Teaching units are also distributed differently. This flexibility is also evident in everyday life. When the wind and weather are perfect, it can happen that sailing takes priority and lessons are then made up later.
Maintenance of the fleet in Louisenlund
There is a whole fleet on the water ready for the students: from Optimists and 29ers to ILCA dinghies, J70s and traditional cutters. In addition to sailing, craftsmanship is also part of the programme. Anna Schweizer's husband is a qualified boat builder and takes care of the maintenance. He teaches this task to students, who carry out repairs and boat maintenance in the halls in winter.
Sailing starts early in Louisenlund. Even primary school children gain their first experience in an optimist. At the same time, training is becoming increasingly professional: the fleet is staffed by trainers who have sailed in Olympic campaigns themselves. This paves the way for competitive sport.
Here you can listen to the YACHT sailing podcast with Dr Peter Rösner and Anna Schweizer
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This episode is presented by the Louisenlund Foundation.
Leonie Meyer
Editor News & Panorama
