Shortly after speaking with DW, Gesche Joost, who has served as president of the Goethe-Institut since 2024, traveled to Mexico alongside German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.
The Goethe-Institut in Mexico City is one of the largest in the world and, in Joost’s view, exemplifies the institution’s work.
“Latin America is an incredibly important region for Germany and we maintain very strong partnerships there,” Joost explains. “Mexico is one of our key partners, particularly when it comes to attracting skilled workers.”
The Goethe-Institut prepares young Mexicans interested in careers in fields such as nursing or engineering in Germany, not only through language courses but also by providing information on everyday life and culture in Germany.
“For me, the Mexico branch encapsulates everything the Goethe-Institut stands for,” Joost says.
A difficult start after World War II
For 75 years, the Goethe-Institut has worked to represent Germany abroad and promote German language and culture around the world. It was founded in 1951, at a time when Germany needed to regain international trust following World War II and the crimes committed under National Socialism.
Initially established as Goethe e.V. zur Fortbildung ausländischer Deutschlehrer, the association invited foreign teachers to Germany for language training courses.
But before long, the focus shifted to teaching German abroad. The first Goethe-Institut opened in Athens in 1952, and just 10 years later there were already 54 branches abroad, compared with 17 in Germany itself.
Today, the Goethe-Institut operates a global network employing just under 4,400 staff across 154 locations in 100 countries. Around 1 million people take an official German language examination annually through a Goethe-Institut, or one of its partner organizations.
From classical culture to jazz and literature
The institute’s credibility as an independent association was key to its success from the start. Though two-thirds of its funding comes from Germany’s Foreign Office, it develops its programs independently — and has continually adapted them to reflect the spirit of the times and the political climate.
Beyond language learning, cultural programming and public engagement were intended to help convey a broader picture of Germany.
“[But] this wasn’t about exporting so-called German culture to the world,” says Joost. “Rather, it was about asking how we could start afresh — and how we might shape society and the future together.”
In the early years, the institute consciously drew on Germany’s classical culture, with the Nazi era failing to diminish the international appeal of figures such as Schiller, Bach and Beethoven.
By the 1960s, German jazz had become one of the Goethe-Institut’s most successful cultural exports, as was literature, with Nobel Prize-winning authors Günter Grass, Heinrich Böll and Herta Müller traveling on behalf of the institute.
Amid the social upheaval of the 1968 generation and student protests, the Goethe-Institut engaged more deeply with social and political issues, including confronting Germany’s Nazi past.
Dialog and mutual learning
The Goethe-Institut was likewise moving away from its focus on cultural exports towards the principles of dialog, cooperation and mutual learning. That approach continues to shape its work today.
During Germany’s Cold War division, East and West Germany also competed for political alliances abroad through cultural diplomacy.
In the 1970s, East German media even spread the rumor that Goethe-Instituts were espionage organizations.
But following the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, the institute opened numerous new branches in Eastern Europe and the former Eastern Bloc countries, including in Moscow.
After Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry ordered a significant reduction in Goethe-Institut staff numbers in the country — though its work there continues.
The same is true in Ukraine, where the Kyiv institute has remained open throughout the war. It offers a flexible, hybrid model for German-language courses: When air-raid sirens go off, in-person classes move to a shelter.
Key partners in crisis regions
“I get the impression that working in crisis situations has become the norm in many regions,” Joost says of the institute’s global outreach. “Either because democracy is being curtailed, because our colleagues are working under censorship conditions — or because they’re threatened by armed conflict.”
“We’ve come to see ourselves as key partners for civil society in crisis regions,” the institute president adds. “At the same time, we have to act with sensitivity and diplomacy to avoid being forced to leave.”
The Goethe-Institut remains committed to providing spaces for open debate, critical reflection and cultural exchange. But the German government’s stance on the Middle East conflict is currently making this difficult.
The institute is facing boycotts and the suspension of cooperation in some parts of the Arab world, with critics arguing that pro-Palestinian advocacy is being suppressed.
“Our task is to explain Germany’s position and the history behind it,” Joost says. “But also to show the debates taking place in Germany itself. And we also convey criticism from many countries back to Germany as well.”
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The Goethe-Institut’s work has also been challenged in recent years by significant cuts to federal funding, forcing a restructuring process that included the closure of some branches.
And as Germany faces new challenges integrating a growing number of international skilled workers, Joost sees the institute as playing a key role in that effort.
“We can see that many foreign skilled workers envisage a future in Germany. But settling in Germany isn’t always easy,” she explains, which is why the institute offers guidance about living and working in Germany for newcomers.
The Goethe-Institut is marking its 75th anniversary under the motto Wir in der Welt (“We in the World”), and is celebrating with partners across the globe.
The program, already underway, includes concerts, performances, film series and discussion events — details can be found here. The highlight will be an official ceremony on June 23, 2026 at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, attended by Germany’s president and numerous international guests.
This article was originally written in German
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