Goethe-Institut facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Goethe-Institut

Headquarters in Munich
Founded	1951; 74 years ago (1951)
Founder	Government of Germany
Type	Cultural institution
Location	Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Area served	Worldwide
Product	German cultural and language education
Key people	Dr. Carola Lentz (President) Johannes Ebert (Secretary General) Rainer Pollack (Business Director)

Goethe Institut in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Goethe-Institut in Prague, Czech Republic.

Goethe Institut in Oslo, Norway.

The Goethe-Institut Philippinen in Makati, Philippines.

The library at the Goethe-Institut Philippines.

An event at the Goethe Language Learning Center in Shenyang, China.

The Goethe-Institut (often called GI) is a special organization from Germany. It works all over the world, with 159 locations. Its main goal is to teach the German language to people in other countries. It also helps people learn about German culture, society, and politics.

Every year, about 246,000 people take German language classes at the Goethe-Institut. They also help share German films, music, theater, and books. For over 60 years, these centers have been important for Germany's cultural and educational plans.

The institute is named after a famous German writer and statesman, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The Goethe-Institut is independent and does not follow any political party. It works with many public and private groups. Most of its money comes from the German government. It also gets money from sponsors and fees from its language courses.

What is the Goethe-Institut?

The Goethe-Institut is a non-profit organization. This means it doesn't aim to make money. Instead, it focuses on promoting German culture and language. It helps people around the world connect with Germany.

How the Goethe-Institut is Funded

The German government provides most of the money for the Goethe-Institut. It has about 1,000 employees. Its total budget is around 366 million euros. More than half of this money comes from fees for language courses and exams. The institute also offers scholarships to students from other countries. These scholarships help people who want to become German teachers. They often help students who need financial support.

A Brief History of the Goethe-Institut

The Goethe-Institut has a long history of promoting German culture.

• 1951: The German government started the Goethe-Institut. It took over from an older organization called the Deutsche Akademie.
• 1952: The very first Goethe-Institut opened its doors in Athens, Greece.
• 1953: The first German language classes began in Bad Reichenhall, Germany. More learning centers opened in small, pretty towns. The first textbook, "Schulz-Griesbach," was created.
• 1959–1960: The Goethe-Institut slowly took over all German cultural centers abroad. This helped to bring all German cultural work under one roof.
• 1968: Student protests in the late 1960s changed things. The Goethe-Institut started to include more social and political topics. It also showed more modern art.
• 1976: The German government and the Goethe-Institut signed an agreement. This made the Goethe-Institut an independent cultural organization.
• 1980: The institute changed where its centers were located in Germany. They moved from small towns to bigger cities and university towns.
• 1989–1990: The fall of the Berlin Wall was a big moment. The Goethe-Institut focused on Eastern Europe in the 1990s. Many new institutes opened there.
• 2001: The Goethe-Institut joined with another organization called Inter Nationes.
• 2004: The institute opened a center in Pyongyang, North Korea. It closed in 2009. The organization also went back to its original name, Goethe-Institut.
• 2005: The Goethe-Institut received the Prince of Asturias Prize from Spain.
• 2007: The German parliament gave more money to the Goethe-Institut.
• 2014: A new Goethe-Institut opened in Myanmar.

Where are Goethe-Instituts Located?

The Goethe-Institut has locations in many countries around the world.

An old Goethe-Institut building in Colonia Roma, Mexico City.

• In Africa, the first branches opened in Ghana, Togo, and Cameroon in 1961.
• The Khartoum, Sudan branch opened in 1963. Many Sudanese students later went to Germany to study.
• In Bangladesh, the Goethe-Institut opened in Dhaka in 1961. It moved to its current location in 1967.
• In Lebanon, the Goethe-Institut was on Rue Gemmayze in Beirut. After a big explosion in 2020, they moved to Beirut Digital District.
• In Iran, the Tehran institute opened in 1958. It closed in 1981 due to political issues. It still does some work through the German embassy.
• In Pakistan, there are two branches. The Goethe-Institut, Karachi is in an old bungalow. The Lahore branch is called "Annemarie Schimmel Haus," named after a famous German scholar. It shares its space with the Alliance française.
• In India, the institutes are called Max Mueller Bhavans. They are named after a German scholar, Max Müller. You can find them in Chennai, Coimbatore, Pune, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, and Bangalore.
• In Indonesia, there are two Goethe-Instituts in Jakarta and Bandung. There is also a Goethe-Zentrum in Surabaya.
• In Vietnam, there are branches in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
• In Kenya, the Goethe-Institut is in Nairobi. It is also known as the German Cultural Centre.
• In the Philippines, the Goethe-Institut is now in Makati, Metro Manila.
• In the United States, there are several Goethe-Instituts, including in New York City and Washington, D.C..
• In Nigeria, there is a learning center in Lagos.
• In Great Britain, the main office is in London. There are also offices in Glasgow and North London.
• In Greece, branches are in Athens and Thessaloniki.
• In Georgia, the Goethe-Institut is in the capital city, Tbilisi.
• In South Africa, there are branches in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Learning German with the Goethe-Institut

The Goethe-Institut helps people learn German in many ways.

Distance Learning Options

The Goethe-Institut offers classes you can take from home. This is called distance education. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Goethe-Institut Singapore started "Blended Learning" courses. These courses combine online learning with some in-person activities.

German Language Exams

The institute has created many exams for people learning German. These exams are for all skill levels, from beginner (A1) to advanced (C2). You can take these exams in Germany or in other countries. They follow the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), which is a standard for language testing in Europe.

Here are some of the main Goethe-Institut exams:

The Goethe-Institut also helped create the TestDaF exams. These tests are for people who want to study at German universities. You can take the TestDaF in Germany and in 65 other countries.

Awards and Special Programs

The Goethe-Institut gives out several awards and runs special programs.

Goethe Medal

Once a year, the Goethe-Institut gives out the Goethe Medal. This is an official award from Germany. It honors people from other countries who have done great things for the German language and for cultural connections between countries. The Goethe Medal started in 1954. In 1975, it became an official award of Germany.

Villa Kamogawa Artist Residency

The Goethe-Institut Villa Kamogawa is a special place in Kyoto, Japan. It hosts artists from Germany. Artists can live and work there for a time. It opened in 2011 and is one of three main German artist residency programs abroad. It welcomes three groups of four artists each year.

Famous People Who Studied at Goethe-Institut

Many notable people have studied German at the Goethe-Institut, including:

• Avi Primor (born 1935), an Israeli writer and former diplomat.
• Jorge Mario Bergoglio (born 1936), who is now Pope Francis.
• Ian Kershaw (born 1943), a famous English historian.
• Sanmao (1943–1991), a Taiwanese author.
• Primo Levi (1919 – 1987), an Italian writer and Holocaust survivor.
• Renée Fleming (born 1959), a well-known American opera singer.
• Auma Obama (born 1960), a journalist and sister of former US President Barack Obama.

Recognition and Awards

The Goethe-Institut has received important awards for its work.

• 2005: The Goethe-Institut won the Prince of Asturias Award. It shared this award with other cultural organizations like the Alliance française and the British Council. This award was for their achievements in communication and humanities.
• 2007: It received a special Konrad Duden Prize. This was for its important work in promoting the German language.

See also

• German American Partnership Program
• Cultural Diplomacy
• Public diplomacy
• British Council
• European Union National Institutes for Culture