Prof. Dr. h.c. Klaus-Dieter Lehmann: Biography
Former President (2008 – 2020)

Born on 29.02.1940 in Breslau

Education and career:

• 1961-1967 Studies of physics and mathematics at the universities of Cologne and Mainz; degree: Diplom
• 1967-1969 Scientist at Max-Planck-Institut Mainz
• 1969-1970 Internship and degree (second state examination) in Library Science
• 1970-1973 University librarian in Darmstadt
• 1973-1978 Director at the Municipal and University Library Frankfurt am Main
• 1978-1988 Executive Director of the Municipal and University Library Frankfurt am Main
• since 1986 Honorary Professor for Economic Informatics at Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main
• 1988-1990 Director-General of the German Library in Frankfurt am Main
• 1990-1998 Director-General of the United German Library Leipzig, German Library Frankfurt and German Music Archives Berlin (later the German National Library)
• 1998-2008 President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in Berlin
• since 2006 Honorary Professor for Library and Information Science at Humboldt University in Berlin
• 2002-2008 Vice president of the Goethe-Institut
• since 2008 President of the Goethe-Institut

Prof. Dr. h.c. Klaus-Dieter Lehmann is a member of the Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz, the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Science, the Academy of German Book Prizes, a member of the jury for the Brücke Berlin Prize and the University Council of the University of the Arts in Berlin, and an honorary member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts. In addition to many other honorary posts, he is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Kulturfonds Frankfurt Rhein-Main, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg, chairman of the Advisory Board and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Cultural Foundation and member of the Board of Trustees of the German Academy for Language and Poetry Darmstadt. He is an honorary member of the Association of German Librarians and the Exchange Association of the German Book Trade. Lehmann is an honorary professor of business informatics at the University of Frankfurt am Main and for library and information science at Humboldt University in Berlin. Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2001. In 2010 he became honorary senator of Humboldt University in Berlin.

Awards and honours:
 

• Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques, Paris (1990)
• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany: Federal Cross of Merit, 1st class (1996)
• Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana Grande Ufficiale (2004)
• Honorary doctorate from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (2001)
• Order of Merit of the state of Berlin (2006)
• Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class (2007)
• Kulturgroschen of the German Cultural Council (2008)
• Honorary senator of Humboldt University in Berlin (2010)
• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany: Grand Federal Cross of Merit (2011)
• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun Japan (2015)
• Gutenberg Prize of the International Gutenberg Society and the City of Mainz (2016)
• Golden Medal of the Humboldt Society for Science, Art and Education (2017) 

Brief biography:
 
Klaus-Dieter Lehmann, born in Breslau in 1940, has been president of the Goethe-Institut since 2008. He studied mathematics and physics (graduating with the Dipl.-Phys. degree) followed by library science. In 1973, he became director of the Municipal and University Library in Frankfurt/Main and in 1990 director-general of the United German Library in Leipzig, Frankfurt and Berlin (later the German National Library). From 1998 to 2008, he was president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in Berlin. Lehmann is a member of the Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Science. He is an honorary professor for business informatics at the University of Frankfurt am Main and for library and information science at Humboldt University in Berlin. Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2001.