KIT Archive supports three Karlsruhe school students in the Federal President's History Competition

In the 29th round of the Federal President's History Competition 2024/25 on the topic “This far and no further!? Borders in history,” three 12th-grade students from the Bismarck Gymnasium in Karlsruhe were awarded first prize at the federal level.

Their award-winning work, “Otto Lehmann – Grenzgänger der Wissenschaft” (Otto Lehmann – Cross-border Scientist), sheds light on the life of Karlsruhe physicist Otto Lehmann and the scientific and personal hurdles he had to overcome along the way.

The paper was written in collaboration with the KIT Archive, which provided the students with technical support during the project. Archive director Klaus Nippert helped them choose a topic and interpret the competition's focus on “Borders in History” in the context of scientific boundaries. This provided a solid foundation for clearly developing the topic and turning it into a compelling paper. “I think they did a very good job,” says Klaus Nippert, referring to the work of the three competition participants.

KIT Archives provided the young researchers with extensive source material for their research, including books, photographs of Lehmann and his experimental setups, and various devices from the archive collection. They also gained access to Otto Lehmann's digital estate, which enabled them to continue their research outside the reading room.

Thanks to the close support provided by the archive, the twelfth graders were not only able to immerse themselves deeply in historical work, but also practice working with sources and develop their research into a well-structured written competition entry.

The KIT Archive is delighted with the success of the three young researchers and congratulates them warmly on winning the national award.

Further information:
Körber‑Stiftung – Bundespreis 2025
SWR‑Landesschau – Otto Lehmann