The small school building was constructed in 1837 in the village of Thöningsen near the city of Soest (Soest district) according to a standard floor plan. It consists only of an entrance hall and one single classroom measuring a good 30 square meters. In such a “Zwergschule,” (literally meaning “dwarf school”) up to 40 children of various ages were taught by a single teacher. The boys and girls sat in pairs on wooden benches and wrote on slate boards. Blackboard, maps, wall charts, globes, and slide rules were among the teaching materials used.
The half-timbered chapel used to stand in Werthenbach (Netphen, Siegen-Wittgenstein district), where it belonged to the Catholic parish church in the neighboring village. Built in 1737, the chapel was used for occasional devotions. The sturdy half-timbered construction is characteristic of the Siegerland region and neighboring Hessen. School lessons were also held in the chapel, and in 1816 a separate classroom was added. Here, up to 40 children of different ages could be taught by one teacher. In the 1950s, a new school building was constructed.
