The Gymnasium Carolinum is one of Germany's oldest secondary schools, founded in 1528 by Margrave George the Pious of Brandenburg-Ansbach as part of the Protestant Reformation's programme of education. It occupies a Renaissance building in the old town with a handsome arcaded courtyard that can be visited during school hours.
The school's alumni list runs to several notable figures in German intellectual and political history. Today it continues to function as a secondary school, making it one of the few historic institutions in Bavaria to maintain its original educational purpose across nearly five centuries. The courtyard is the best part to see — it gives a sense of the Renaissance ambition behind the school's founding.