Right in front of you, you’ll spot the Sälischulhaus by its striking long, modern structure, with big glass doors and a grid of metal slats across its whole front-just look for the large, sleek building catching the sunlight with its shiny, grid-like façade.
Now, imagine the 1960s in Olten: neighborhoods are popping up, kids are spilling out of new houses, and suddenly the old schools are bursting at the seams! The city had to act fast, and-voilà-a crack team of architects, Hans Zaugg and Alfons Barth, got to work, drawing plans with bold ideas and maybe a hint of coffee-stained blueprints. Up here on the hillside, above the Church of Peace, they created something totally different: three big buildings, one for primary, one for secondary students, and a whole extra section just for sports and swimming-yes, a school with its own pool! The whole thing is built like a mighty skeleton of concrete, steel, and glass, perfect for a city that was growing up fast. And there’s a little twist: right in the schoolyard stands a mysterious three-part granite sculpture by Paul Agustoni. Some say it holds the secrets to good grades, others just use it as a meeting spot. Now a protected landmark, the Sälischulhaus is a living memory of a time when Olten’s future looked bright and full of young voices-so who knows, maybe you’ll hear echoes of laughter and footsteps from years gone by as you stand here.
