Country Profiles: Germany - Institute for Cultural Diplomacy

6.2 Goethe-Institute
Agent of Cultural Diplomacy: The Goethe-Institute in cooperation with, among others, the Ernst
von Siemens Musikstiftung, Kulturstiftung des Bundes, Robert Bosch Stiftung
Agenda: Encourage international cultural exchange
Vehicle of Cultural Diplomacy: Organising cultural and linguistic programmes and events, and
making contributions to various festivals and exhibitions in the fields of film, theatre, literature and
translation
Target Audience: People interested in teaching and learning German as a foreign language, persons
generally interested in Germany
The Goethe-Institute e.V. is an institution acting on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany in
the issues of foreign cultural and educational policies. The Institute was founded in 1951 as a
replacement of the German Academy (Deutsche Akademie, DA). Its first task was to offer further
training for foreign German teachers in Germany. In 1959/ 1960 the Goethe- Institute took over all
of Germany’s cultural institutes abroad. During the students’ revolts in the late 1960s the Institute
adapted its programme of cultural events to include socio-political topics and avant-garde art. Since
the 1970s the concept of ‘extended culture‛ formed the basis of activities at the Goethe-Institute. In
1976 the Goethe-Institute became an independent cultural organisation based on a general
agreement with the Foreign Office. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the activities centred on Eastern
European countries and therefore many new institutes were set up. In 2001 the Institute fused with
the organisation Inter Nationes which was a society to produce and sell informative literature about
German cultural goods abroad. The Goethe-Institute was the first non-profit association to establish
a Western information centre in Pyongyang/ North Korea. In the following year it received the
Prince-of-Asturia-Price of Spain and in 2007 the funds available for the Goethe-Institute were
increased by the German parliament.
According to its statute, the Goethe-Institute’s three principal objectives are:
1) Promoting the study of the German language abroad
2) Encouraging international cultural cooperation and conveying an all-round image of Germany
by providing information on its culture, society and politics
3) It supports intercultural collaboration with various festivals and exhibitions in the fields of arts,
film, music, theatre, dance and literature
The Federal Foreign Office finances two-thirds of the Institute with a total of €223,15 million. Other
sorces of financial support come from language course and examination fees, donation and
sponsoring with a total of €61, 63 million. Supporters from the field of economics are Audi AG
(Brisbane/Melbourne/Perth/Sydney), BMW Group (Lisbon/Milan/New York/Wellington), Daimler AG
(Tokyo/Singapore), Deutsche Bank AG (Washington/Hong Kong), Deutsche Lufthansa AG
(Ankara/Chicago/Seoul/Sydney/Tokyo) and Roland Berger International Strategy Consultants GmbH
(Krakow). Also foundations support the Institute, for example Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung
(Beijing/Tel Aviv), Kulturstiftung des Bundes (Sao Paulo), Robert Bosch Stiftung
(Istanbul/Cairo/Moscow/Beijing/Washington), Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft
(Berlin) and Stiftung Mercator (Beijing).
Throughout its 60 year history, the Goethe-Institute has opened 150 institutes all over the world
and today employs almost 3000 people. Throughout these years the Institute held many events and
became the ‘core of foreign cultural and educational politics’ as Guido Westerwelle expressed it at