For 70 years, we have been bringing people all over the world together through language, culture, and education.

Timeline
A quick dip

Explore the history of the Goethe-Institut and discover surprising, curious, and exciting moments from 70 years of cultural and language work worldwide.

Start

The Goethe-Institut
In Society

Art requires space, security, freedom, and support. In over 150 countries, the Goethe-Institut is working to ensure that local cultural scenes can flourish as freely as possible. It helps build sustainable structures for the arts and creative economy and creates safe spaces for creative professionals – even in places where artistic freedom and freedom of expression are under threat.

Learn more

Innen und Außen

Migration, Klimawandel und nicht zuletzt die Pandemie zeigen: Die Unterscheidung zwischen dem Leben in Deutschland und der Welt da draußen funktioniert nicht mehr. Das spiegelt sich auch in der Arbeit des Goethe-Instituts wider.

Jetzt entdecken

Foto: Jörg Gläscher

Out and about in the world
In motion

Worldwide, the Goethe-Institut invites artists to give guest performances, brings language learners together in exchange programmes, and rotates staff to various locations. Stories from a cultural institution where “in constant motion” is the byword.

Learn more

Photo: Martin Waelde

A changing mission and self-image over the years
In profile

A changing mission and self-image over the years In profile Once an exporter of culture, today a global networker: The Goethe-Institut has often changed tacks over the course of its history – from ballet in traditional German folk dress to the discourse on postcolonialism.

Learn more

Listening and exchanging ideas: final “Museum Conversations” conference in Windhuk 2019.

How digitisation is changing the Goethe-Institut
Through the Ages

The Goethe-Institut’s 70-year history is also a story of technical transformation and progress, of the first language labs and futuristic computer art to TikTok lessons and virtual reality in libraries.

Learn more

Foto: Michael Friedel

The history of the global network
In the world

The Goethe-Institut has more than 150 locations in the world. They tell of lived history: Over the decades, they have overcome political upheavals, crises and natural disasters.

Learn more