The representative school complex, situated on the eastern shore of Pfaffenteich, comprises the gymnasium and the headmaster's villa along with its large courtyard area. The eleven-axial, two-story brick building dominates the otherwise villa-dominated eastern shore of Pfaffenteich. At the same time, it serves as the visual axis across the water surface of the lake, towards the impressive Grand Ducal administrative buildings on the western shore.
Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II commissioned architect Hermann Willebrand in 1867 to build a large and modern gymnasium for the education of future elites in Mecklenburg. In particular, mathematicians, jurists, theologians, and civil servants were to attain their professional maturity at the Fridericianum. The school complex was built and completed from 1868 to 1870. In 1887, the building ensemble was expanded with a gymnasium. Another extension, intended for drawing and biology classes, was added in 1908.
During the GDR era, the historic building housed the Polytechnic High School "August Bebel". After reunification, the building was temporarily used as a vocational school for the field of economics and administration. Since then, there have been plans to expand it as a university campus. The Baltic College, a private university, currently occupies the building.
Style-wise, architect Willebrand adopts the style of the historic parts of the Old Castle in the exterior of the Fridericianum. The plinth zone, cornices, and the attic impressively contrast with the light, red-banded wall surfaces, embodying the imposing severity of an educational institution. Willebrand gives the school complex a modern character with the use of colored brick, while simultaneously emphasizing the high standards and grandeur of the educational institution. This function is emphasized by the staircase rising from street level. Medallions of the two Grand Dukes of Mecklenburg, Friedrich Franz I and Friedrich Franz II, are executed in terracotta on the gables of the two corner pavilions.
