Goethe-Institut

Goethe-Institut
Founded1951; 73 years ago (1951)
FounderGovernment of Germany
TypeCultural institution
Location
Area served
Worldwide
ProductGerman cultural and language education
Key people
  • Dr. Carola Lentz (President)
  • Johannes Ebert (Secretary General)
  • Rainer Pollack (Business Director)
Websitegoethe.de
Goethe Institut Kuala Lumpur. It has since moved to an office building on the same road, next to the American embassy.
Goethe-Institut, Prague
Goethe Institut Oslo
The Goethe-Institut Philippinen in Makati, Philippines
Library of the Goethe-Institut Philippines
Osterfest 2019 Goethe-Sprachlernzentrum, Shenyang

The Goethe-Institut (German: [ˈɡøːtə ʔɪnstiˌtuːt]; GI, Goethe Institute) is a non-profit German cultural association operational worldwide with 159 institutes, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations. Around 246,000 people take part in these German courses per year.

The Goethe-Institut fosters knowledge about Germany by providing information on German culture, society and politics. This includes the exchange of films, music, theatre, and literature. Goethe cultural societies, reading rooms, and examination and language centres have played a role in the cultural and educational policies of Germany for more than 60 years.[1]

It is named after German poet and statesman Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The Goethe-Institut e.V. is autonomous and politically independent.[2]

Partners of the institute and its centres are public and private cultural institutions, the German federal states, local authorities and the world of commerce. Much of the Goethe-Institut's overall budget consists of annual grants from the German Foreign Office and the German Press Office. The relationship with the Foreign Office is governed by general agreement. Self-generated income and contributions from sponsors and patrons, partners and friends broaden the scope of the work of the Goethe-Institut.

  1. ^ Goethe-Institut looks back on 60 years of cultural exchange, 29 August 2011, Deutsche Welle, accessed 9 May 2012.
  2. ^ "Das Goethe-Institut" (PDF). Bundestag. Berlin: Bundestag, Wissenschaftliche Dienste. 2006. Retrieved 25 May 2019.