What we do

The Goethe-Institut, Germany’s cultural institute, operates worldwide, promoting knowledge of the German language abroad and fostering international cultural collaborations. Our cultural and educational programmes offer an opportunity to engage with themes and questions relevant to contemporary German culture and society. Faced with the challenges of globalisation, we aim to strengthen intercultural dialogue and a global civil society.

There are currently 151 Goethe-Institut branches operating in 98 countries around the world. Combining our cross-cultural expertise with the experiences of our local partners, we support and collaborate with cultural institutions and artists, universities and schools, local authorities and businesses with an interest in Germany and its language and culture. With our networks and collaborations we also address and promote the European idea, a shared European cultural space and diversity.

In the UK, we have institutes in London and in Glasgow. The Goethe-Institut London has been operating in South Kensington since 1962, the Goethe-Institut Glasgow opened in 1973. Today our work focuses on the following:

LANGUAGE & EDUCATION

German is the most commonly spoken mother tongue in Europe with over 100 million people speaking it as their first language. Learning German significantly enhances educational and career opportunities.

• We support the British education system, schools and teachers in introducing and maintaining the German language in schools, strengthening multilingualism and intercultural dialogue.
• Our modern and diverse language courses are designed for professionals, students and those just learning German for fun. 

CULTURE

Our cultural programme brings a worldwide perspective to contemporary discourse in arts and society.

• We work in close collaboration with institutions, initiatives and cultural practitioners on interdisciplinary projects and throughout all art forms.
• Our programme is increasingly multilateral and includes residencies, workshops, talks and symposia. Throughout the year we host many innovative events – open to everyone!  

INFORMATION & LIBRARY

Through our libraries, websites and social media we provide up-to-date information on contemporary German culture and society.

• We promote German literature and support translation projects, working closely with publishers and translators and offering training and development opportunities.
• Our libraries offer an extensive range of media on German literature, arts, society, language and history. Over 23,000 German books, newspapers, films and more are also available via our eLibrary - for free!

Annual Report 2023/24

The yearbook is based on the goals of Vision and Strategy 2026 and provides an insight into the work of the Goethe-Institut over the past year with numerous interviews, reports, images and infographics. The information section contains facts and figures.