The Schnepfenthal Institution was a school founded circa 1780 by Christian Gotthilf Salzmann for the purpose of testing new educational theories. The curriculum was practically the same as that outlined by Jean-Jacques Rousseau: conformity to natural law and enlightenment were its watchwords; great attention was given to practical life ; and the modern languages were carefully taught, to the complete exclusion of Latin and Greek.

One of its famous students was the German geographer Carl Ritter.