A foray
Explore the history of the Goethe-Instituts in Canada and discover surprising, curious and exciting moments from 60 years of Canadian-German cultural and language work with our timeline in three stages:60 years of cultural and language work, 60 years of exchange and dialogue. When the Goethe-Institut was established in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto in 1962, one could only imagine how many German artists would inspire Canadian audiences over the years, what exciting exchanges would take place in the local cultural scene and how the institutes' spaces would become important meeting places. Decades of inspiring and inspired friendly cooperation followed, in which transnational partnerships were formed, the most diverse projects were carried out, and people had the opportunity to learn about and from each other.
Developing creativity
A large number of Canadians learned German at the Goethe-Institut and many German learners as well as teachers at schools and universities were motivated by the comprehensive range of language programs. In cooperation with local festivals or cinemas, German films - mostly in subtitled original versions - reached their audience.
German and Canadian artists were offered the opportunity to develop their creativity through residencies. The libraries of the institutes held classics as well as new publications from German literature, music and film for lending. Prominent creatives such as Günter Grass, Wim Wenders, Rimini Protokoll, Pina Bausch, Wolfgang Tillmanns, Anne Imhof and many more visited Canada and left their artistic mark. In different properties under changing management, the institutes adapted to their host environment over the decades and created their very own German-Canadian cultural history, which we share with you in our multimedia review below on this page.
Thank you!
We, the staff of the Goethe-Instituts in Canada would like to thank our audience and learners for their interest, curiosity and loyalty over the past 60 years. We are already looking forward to the next 60 years of cultural collaboration in our beautiful Canadian host country!
Timeline in three stages
Explore the history of Canada's Goethe-Instituts and discover surprising, curious and exciting moments from 60 years of Canadian-German cultural and language work with our timeline in three stages:
