Germany as a guest country at the International Book Fair in Guatemala (Filgua) 2026 was the perfect reason for the German School of Guatemala to tell its story.
As part of the activities of the fair and in commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the educational establishment, the German School presented the book German School of Guatemala, 125 years of historywhere, through images and texts, he takes a tour of more than a century of history.
“The book tells the story of these 125 years of the school’s existence. The German School opened for the first time in 1901. After wars, pandemics and many situations, there were periods in which it had to be closed. The school continued to reopen, function and now it is the institution that we all know,” says Cecilia Bauer, administrative director of the German School.
The text is based on research carried out by historian and former student Regina Wagner on the presence of Germans in Guatemala and the emergence of the German School.
Recognized as the main researcher of the issue, Wagner told how the school opened in 1901 with 70 students and had to close forty years later due to World War II. Then, in 1957, the procedures began to reestablish it under the auspices of the Alejandro von Humboldt Association. Finally, the German School reopened on January 24, 1958 with more than 500 students.
That story was summarized, illustrated and updated until this year thanks to the work of Virginia Ballester and Andrés Dávila, authors of the copy, who captured the research in a version known as the “coffee table book”, a large-format hardcover copy designed especially for display.
“This book is addressed to all those who in some way have made it possible for this school to be where it is and be what it is. Obviously, in 125 years of history, many are no longer here, but we remember those thousands of gestures of generosity, of people who donated their time, their enthusiasm, their effort, their work and, above all, their commitment to make this school what it is today,” says Ballester.
He added that during the process they reviewed hundreds of photographs and documents, some with difficulty in restoring them, but with this they managed to tell the story of the 125 years on each page.
“Working on this book has been a true honor because it is, page by page, reviewing and remembering those classrooms where many of those present walked, studied and were. They are the stories that we are going to tell here; they are their stories and all the memories that have made this school so special,” said Dávila.
The authorities of the establishment explained that with the donations of those who acquire the copy, a heritage fund will be created with the objective of contributing to education in Guatemala.
“The school has been built many times: by those who founded it, by those who rescued it, by its teachers, its families, its students and its alumni; each generation received something valuable and had to decide what to do with it. This book is an example of how to honor all those hands,” concluded Juan José Barrios, president of the board of directors of the Alejandro von Humboldt Education and Culture Association.
The copy was presented this Friday, July 17, 2026 in the Miguel Ángel Asturias room at Filgua 2026. As a preamble to the presentation, the children’s choir from the German School offered a concert with songs in German and Spanish, which closed with the performance of Moon of Xelajú.
the book German School of Guatemala, 125 years of history It is available at Filgua 2026, at the Alejandro von Humboldt Association, at the German Club and at school.
