Goethe-Institut Washington

Goethe-Institut Washington We are the Washington D.C. location of the Goethe-Institut, the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institute, active worldwide.
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We promote the study of German abroad and encourage international cultural exchange. The Goethe-Institut Washington organizes and supports cultural events that present German culture abroad and that further intercultural exchange. Of special interest to us are film and exhibition projects. Our language department offers German courses, workshops and seminars for teachers of German as a Foreign Lan

guage, as well as a wide-ranging testing program to prove proficiency in German. Sign up for our weekly electronic newsletter of upcoming events and language courses at the Goethe-Institut Washington at https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/new.html.

Looking for ebooks, magazines, audiobooks, and much more in German and English? Try our free digital library ONLEIHE. No...
05/29/2026

Looking for ebooks, magazines, audiobooks, and much more in German and English? Try our free digital library ONLEIHE. Now with 40 new titles.
www.goethe.de/usa/elibrary

A security guard files a report — charge: handing a homeless woman a lighter.The latest travel note from ON THE ROAD is ...
05/27/2026

A security guard files a report — charge: handing a homeless woman a lighter.
The latest travel note from ON THE ROAD is now online in GEGENÜBER — read Mücahit’s full text
🔗 https://www.goethe.de/prj/geg/de/thm/unt/27259493.html
ON THE ROAD is a literary project by the Goethe-Institut and the Deutsches Literaturinstitut Leipzig.

We were delighted to welcome Jens Hanefeld, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States and Head ...
05/22/2026

We were delighted to welcome Jens Hanefeld, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States and Head of Mission at the German Embassy Washington, to the Goethe-Institut Washington!

Ambassador Hanefeld joined our Regional Director North America, Dr. Wenzel Bilger, and team for an in-depth conversation on the transatlantic relationship, the role cultural diplomacy plays in strengthening it, and the work we do every day to keep that dialogue alive.
Thank you, Ambassador Hanefeld, for your visit. We look forward to many more conversations ahead.

Valet gloves, library readings, humid air, and someone showing pistols on a phone. Homesickness and fascination in equal...
05/22/2026

Valet gloves, library readings, humid air, and someone showing pistols on a phone. Homesickness and fascination in equal measure — this is America, seen through fresh eyes.
The latest dispatch from ON THE ROAD is now online in GEGENÜBER — read Mücahit’s full text and feel the disorientation of the journey yourself.
🔗 goethe.de/gegenuber/ontheroad (The White Glove)
ON THE ROAD is a literary project by the Goethe-Institut and the Deutsches Literaturinstitut Leipzig.

From robots to streaming — German sci-fi has a wilder history than you think.It all began in 1927 with Fritz Lang’s Metr...
05/21/2026

From robots to streaming — German sci-fi has a wilder history than you think.
It all began in 1927 with Fritz Lang’s Metropolis — a visionary silent film set in the year 2026 that inspired everything from Blade Runner to Star Wars. Our carousel takes you through the iconic images and story of this timeless masterpiece. Thea von Harbou, who wrote the script and was Fritz Lang's wife at the time, later joined the N**i Party voluntarily and became a screenwriter for N**i propaganda films. Her then-ex-husband emigrated to the U.S.
And if you want to go deeper: Angela Zierow () traces the full arc of German science fiction — from Lang’s expressionist epic to Netflix’s Dark — in her essay now online in GEGENÜBER. goethe.de/gegenuber/germanfilm (scroll to Science Fiction).

Mücahit’s time in New Orleans doesn’t go as planned. His travel notes are now online on GEGENÜBER: https://www.goethe.de...
05/18/2026

Mücahit’s time in New Orleans doesn’t go as planned. His travel notes are now online on GEGENÜBER: https://www.goethe.de/prj/geg/en/thm/unt/27259595.html.
Mücahit Türk is an emerging writer from Germany who recently traveled through the American South and Southwest for the literary project ON THE ROAD.

80 years ago, on May 17, 1946, the DEFA Studios were founded in Babelsberg. The DEFA Studios were the central film produ...
05/17/2026

80 years ago, on May 17, 1946, the DEFA Studios were founded in Babelsberg. The DEFA Studios were the central film production hub of the GDR. Following the reunification of West and East Germany in 1990, the studios were privatized. Today, the DEFA Foundation manages the film archive and makes it accessible to the public, playing a key role in the reckoning of GDR film history.
To celebrate the DEFA anniversary, we're presenting five DEFA films from five decades for free streaming on our film platform gegenuber.goethe-on-demand.de (scroll to "80 YEARS DEFA")
🎂 Happy Birthday, dear DEFA!
German Film Office DEFA Film Library

Two writers from Germany. One road trip from Las Vegas to New York, with stops that leave marks.📍 Louise in New Orleans ...
05/17/2026

Two writers from Germany. One road trip from Las Vegas to New York, with stops that leave marks.📍 Louise in New Orleans — crawfish, Katrina, and the weight of a city living on borrowed time. Her ON THE ROAD travel notes: https://www.goethe.de/prj/geg/en/thm/unt/27256792.html

Today, we had the pleasure of welcoming the Rapporteur Group on International Exchange Programs of the German Bundestag ...
05/13/2026

Today, we had the pleasure of welcoming the Rapporteur Group on International Exchange Programs of the German Bundestag to the Goethe-Institut Washington for a brief visit and conversation about our work in the United States.

We were honored to host Members of the German Bundestag Dr. Hendrik Hoppenstedt (CDU), Erhard Brucker (AfD), Derya Türk-Nachbaur (SPD-Fraktion im Bundestag), Dr. Anja Reinalter (BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN), and Mandy Eißing (Die Linke).

Thank you for your interest in our cultural and educational initiatives and for the engaging exchange!

𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼: from left to right Dr. Anja Reinalter, Dr. Andrea Zell (Director of Cultural Programs Goethe-Institut North America), Dr. Wenzel Bilger (Director Goethe-Institut Washington and Regional Director North America), Derya Türk-Nachbaur, Dr. Hendrik Hoppenstedt, Mandy Eißing, Erhard Brucker, and Sebastian Vötter (Director Language Programs Goethe-Institut North America and Deputy Executive Director).

Address

1377 R Street NW (Suite 300)
Washington D.C., DC
20009

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 3:30pm

Telephone

(202) 847-4700

Website

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