THE STATE OF LATIN INSTRUCTION IN GERMANY TODAY.

The article presents an overview of the development of Latin education in Germany from 1963-2003 mainly as it is reflected in the number of students learning Latin. In order to understand the role of Latin at German schools, it is very necessary to first sketch the German school system as a whole. Unlike the American school system, the majority of the German states do not run comprehensive schools. After elementary school training, parents in cooperation with teachers, try to find the best way for their children to advance in their further school career. A child's talents, abilities and school performance are taken into consideration. The article also provides statistical material from 1963 through 2000 which will demonstrate a general numeric downward trend and try to give an explanation for it. Further it presents more recent figures that is from 2001-2003 which indicate a slight upward trend. Finally it will try to put the learning of Latin into a larger context: in a globalized world and a unified Europe, Latin faces challenges and opportunities alike.