Berta-Jourdan School Move to RAW Collapses After BaFin Secures Space

The loss leaves the vocational school stuck in cramped Nordend classrooms and forces city officials to restart the search for alternative premises.

Overview

City officials confirmed Tuesday that plans to relocate the Berta-Jourdan-Schule into the former DB headquarters in Gallus have ended after the Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht reserved about 23,000 square meters there.
BaFin intends to occupy the Gallus site from 2028, a commitment that city education officials say leaves insufficient contiguous space for the school to move as previously planned.
The school, which trains about 1,700 early-childhood educators, will remain at its overcrowded Nordend campus, prolonging cramped teaching conditions and limiting intake capacity.
Political leaders traded blame after the collapse: SPD Dezernentin Sylvia Weber had pushed the RAW solution while Green and Volt politicians opposed it over cost and suitability, and all parties now press for a faster alternative search.
The municipal Stabsstelle Schulbau will coordinate with the Baudezernat and school leadership to examine options, including the former Postbank building in Eckenheim, though that site may be temporary and has practical drawbacks.