Goethe-Institut

Goethe-Institut e.V.
Founded1951 (1951)
TypeCultural institution
Location
Region served
Worldwide
ProductGerman cultural and language promotion
Key people
  • Gesche Joost (President)
  • Johannes Ebert (Secretary General)
  • Rainer Pollack (Business Director)
Websitegoethe.de
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Goethe-Institut, Prague
Goethe-Institut Oslo
The Goethe-Institut in La Paz, Bolivia
Library of the Goethe-Institut Philippines
German Easter traditions at Goethe-language centre, Shenyang

The Goethe-Institut (German: [ˈɡøːtə ʔɪnstiˌtuːt]; GI, Goethe Institute) is a nonprofit German cultural organization operational worldwide with more than 150 cultural centres across 99 countries, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations. Around 246,000 people have studied German in these courses per year. It is named after German poet and statesman Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. As a registered association, the Goethe-Institut e.V. is politically independent.

The Goethe-Institut fosters knowledge about Germany by providing information on German culture, society and socio-political affairs. This includes the promotion of German films, music, theatre, and literature. Goethe cultural societies, reading rooms, and examination and language centres have played an important role in the cultural and educational activities of Germany in many countries for more than 60 years.

Partners of the institute and its centres are public and private cultural institutions, the German federal states, local authorities and civil society. 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 a general agreement. Further, self-generated income and contributions from sponsors and patrons, partners and friends support the work of the Goethe-Institut.