Once upon a time there were two pirates on Untersee
When a child calls out to its parents: "Bye-bye, I'm off to school!", the parents are proud and think reassuringly: "What a clever child we have! This shows once again the success of our good upbringing!"
If they knew that their child was going to the Pirate School, they probably wouldn't be so quiet. The Pirate School is quite unlike any other school around Lake Constance - and probably far beyond! Firstly, there are no adults at the Pirate School. And secondly, there are no teachers. But that doesn't mean that you can't learn anything at the Pirate School.
Since the story with the ring, they have become friends. They founded the pirate school straight away and see each other almost every day. Their favorite pastime is hiding treasures for others to find.
First they hide treasures, and then they hide clues and riddles about where the treasures are hidden. And then they hide clues and riddles where the clues and riddles are hidden that lead to the treasures. And then they hide clues and riddles, where the clues and riddles are hidden, where the clues and riddles are hidden, which lead to the treasures. And then they hide... What? Have you run out of patience to keep listening? Patience is one of the most important things you practise at pirate school! Or at least pretend that you are patient and can wait forever.
Now, of course, everyone wants to know where to find this pirate school! That's not so easy. Pirates are not sedentary. And so nobody knows exactly where the next pirate school will be held. Perhaps in the Seeburgpark in Kreuzlingen?
Practice makes perfect pirates
There are two ways to learn to become a pirate: Either you go to a harbor and wait for the next pirate ship. Or you can go to pirate school. The first way is dangerous: who knows if the pirates on the pirate ship will be nice to you? What if you arrive on a pirate ship untrained and you get caught in a storm and don't know what to do?
But above all, there are too many adults on such a random pirate ship. There are no adults in the pirate school. The children are just children and treat other children like children. You can join in with everything right from the start. But above all, the Pirate School has a ship as a dry training ground. It is located in Seeburgpark in Kreuzlingen. There you can prepare for storms without getting wet. You can climb, make ropes and friends, sing off-key and do all the other important things you learn at Pirate School.
Pirates in plumage
It's actually a wonder that the Seemuseum in Kreuzlingen isn't called the Pirate Museum. Ships, fish, ropes, water - the pirate school feels right at home here. Children can learn a lot here and prepare for their pirate life.
One of the founders of the pirate school is Huberta, who always carries a whistle in her beak. She can fly, dive and dance. Other great crested grebes can do this too, but Huberta can also speak and do 200 other things that can only be learned at the Pirate School. That's why everyone at the pirate school admires her. But she also admires her relatives among the many great crested grebes around Untersee. There's Harald, who lives here in the museum. Or Hannelore, who lives on the island of Reichenau and is the best fish cook far and wide. Or Hans-Heiri, the dance teacher from Steckborn and Helena the beauty from Mammern. Do you know any more great crested grebes? One thing is clear: they always have names that start with an "H".
Orientation in the starry sky
The pirate school is always on the move, depending on where they are hiding a treasure. Then they just tell their parents: "We went to the observatory today! And the parents proudly think that they have a particularly clever child. And that's true! But they don't know anything about the pirate school!
If the children are out and about on their own, they also have to find their own way home. Especially in winter, when it gets dark early, the stars help them find their way. Every pirate child knows that there is north, south, west and east. But can you also identify the Big Dipper and Polaris? Then you'll also know where north is. The rest is easy for a pirate school child. What if it's cloudy? Or during the day? Then there's the sun and the clock, or a compass. But that's already higher pirate school!
Mystery of the sunken ships
Who is afraid of pirates? Of course, people who have a ship or carry a lot of money around with them, for example. But this is different: the children at the pirate school are real pirates too, but they don't attack ships, they don't indiscriminately steal what's shiny and they don't drink rum until they drop. But they are still dangerous: for example, if you like to sink ships.
You will always lose against the children of the pirate school! They know how to find out where the other side has hidden their ships without cheating. Learned at pirate school! And boom, boom, boom, ship after ship is mercilessly sunk. How they do this is a well-kept secret that is only taught at pirate school. And there is one thing the children at the pirate school are like all real pirates: A secret is never, never, never revealed!
Ship ahoy!
A pirate without a ship would be like a footballer without a football! That's why the pirate school has its own ship - the black Albina. Well, to be honest, it's more of a raft and although it has sails and a rudder, it's almost impossible to steer. The children never know exactly where they are going when they board the black Albina. It's still a real adventure!
On URh ships, everyone, captains and passengers, know exactly when and where they are going, down to the minute and the meter. There is an exact timetable and woe betide anyone who doesn't stick to it! The children at the Pirate School are now trying to learn everything they can from the URh so that they can sail their black Albina across the water more precisely and purposefully over time. It doesn't have to be a timetable. But they always join the URh, ask questions and take notes. That's the pirate school! The children learn everything themselves. And at some point, a URh ship is overtaken and captured by the black Albina! But don't worry, that may take a while yet.
Treasure from Arenenberg
You think there are no pirates on the Arenenberg because it's not right on the water, but towers over the lake? There are children everywhere! And where there are children, the pirate school is not far away! The children look harmless and everyone thinks they're playing a game. In fact, they are watching everything inconspicuously. Because the pirate school has learned that the cows here give so much milk that you could fill a bathtub with whipped cream. "Eat so much whipped cream until your stomach hurts!" dreams Zaus.
It's no surprise that there are cows at the Arenenberg. After all, it is not only the Pirate School that teaches there, apprentices are also trained in agriculture. They diligently learn how to work in nature, with cows and calves and with modern technology. Technology, and modern technology at that, is not for Huberta. She grabs the good old pitchfork. Because it stings so nicely. Just in case adults get too close to the pirate school, of course.
After all, there is supposed to be a treasure on the Arenenberg. Huberta and Zaus have hidden it and locked it up tight. But there is a treasure map and a trail of clues and tasks leading to the treasure. So, open your eyes and ears, sharpen your nose, sharpen your senses and off you go!
Open fire!
Pirates are known for shooting with cannons and pistols. The children at the pirate school are more peaceful. At most they shoot with balloons or footballs and it's not to hurt anyone, it's a game of skill. For example, they practise hanging from a rope and (because their hands are then busy holding on) keeping a ball in the air with their feet. The pirate school record is held by the pirate Selva the Wild with 237 times (juggling a soccer ball in the air).
Well, when the Pirate School practises something, it does it properly! Another game is target shooting - also with a football, of course. The Pirate School could win any football championship - only there are adults and referees everywhere. That kind of thing doesn't go down well at the Pirate School. But the Pirate School is always to be found on the football golf course. In typical pirate style, Zaus shouts: "Fire", and all the pirate pupils shoot the balls accurately into the next hole.
Good night, dear Zaus
Pirate life is exhausting! Pirate school even more so: constantly on the move, in search of adventure, on the run from adults who want to educate you. Sometimes the pirate students feel like lying down somewhere quiet and having a nap. Outside, there's always the danger of rain, heat, mosquitoes and ants biting you.
Fortunately, there are places inside where the children can sneak in and then have a little rest or even sleep in a bed. Here in the museum, for example. You just have to make sure you don't get caught. One trick, for example, is to stretch a string over the threshold at the entrance and tie it to the toes from there through the whole room. So if someone comes in, it pulls on the string and wakes the sleeping child, who can still hide. There's only one problem with Zaus: once he's asleep, a cannon could go off next to him and he just keeps on snoring.
Pirate library
Huberta is also called Wikiberta in the Pirate School because she knows so much. However, she finds the comparison with Wikipedia and Google very insulting, because she is much better than Wikipedia and Google combined. It's not a question of who invented gunpowder or how long the Rhine is between Schaffhausen and Kreuzlingen. Any child can find that out. Huberta has answers to much trickier questions like: What do I do if I'm tied up but urgently need to scratch my back? What is the quietest way to sneak along a gravel path? How do I find out if someone is lying or telling the truth? Huberta knows almost everything!
Why does she know so much? Because she has read an incredible number of books! Real books, made of paper and with printed pictures. She has created a whole pirate library in the Obere Stube. She calls the library her "Oberstübli" - Huberta may have a small head, but she has a huge memory.
Well, Jeronimo the cheeky claims that Huberta only goes there because there is a small treasure chest of sweets hidden on the bookcase. "That's not true! That's mean!" Huberta hisses back. But why are the sweets in the treasure chest getting fewer and fewer? Huberta doesn't answer this question.
Huberta catches fresh fish
The Pirate School is an all-day school. This means that something has to be eaten. For the pirate Huberta, who is a great crested grebe, one thing is clear: freshly caught fish has to be on the menu every day.
She's easy to talk to because she has a long beak and has been catching fish since she hatched from her egg. It's easy for her. The children at the pirate school learn to fish with a fishing rod and bait. But the hardest part of fishing is having patience. "Having patience" is one of the subjects that the children at the Pirate School have great difficulty with.
Anyone who has tried fishing in Untersee knows that it can take a long time for a fish to bite - if at all. It's different at the Kundelfingerhof: you need a bit of patience here too, but because there are so many fish in the pond, it's quicker. And everyone agrees with Huberta on one point: nothing beats the delicious taste of fresh fish that you have caught yourself.
Dead end
Our pirate Zaus is particularly proud of something: his seven secret languages, which only he knows. And he speaks them fluently. In the fifth secret language, he is now telling the children that Huberta and he also created dead ends at pirate school. "Be careful, dear pirates, not every QR code means a virtual reward," says Zaus, interrupting: "Oh, I think someone has just hit a dead end."
To be on the safe side, a little less cryptic here. Yes, that's you, little pirate, reading this text. The code you read does not lead to the reward. It's one of the dead ends Zaus is talking about.
