60 Years Treffpunkt Goethe
Timeline 1961-2021

Exhibition on the city partnership of Karlsruhe and Nicosia.

From 12 until 20 May 1968 an exhibition by Christoforos Savva is held in the event hall of the Goethe-Institut. This is his last exhibition before his death.
In the same year, Savva was one of the artists representing Cyprus in its first participation in the 1968 Venice Biennale. Cyprus' participation in the Venice Biennale in 2019 was based on his exhibition at the Goethe-Institut.

An exhibition of works by established Cypriot artist Nikos Kouroussis is held at the Goethe-Institut's event hall in February 1971.

In May 1973 the Goethe-Institut organises the World Photography Exhibition in collaboration with the Nicosia Municipality and the Cyprus Society of Photography. It is held in the Nicosia City Hall and in Eleftheria Square (then Metaxa Square).

The Fairy Tale Opera Hansel and Gretel is performed at the Goethe-Institut with the choir and orchestra of the Ethnikon Odeon Kyprou. The set designer for this performance is Glyn Hughes.

In February 1984 the Goethe-Institut organises a film series on Bertolt Brecht at the Famagusta Gate in collaboration with the Cypriot National Theatre and the Municipality of Nicosia. The film series is complemented by a photo and book exhibition in the library of the Goethe-Institut.

The Goethe-Institut organises an exhibition on documenta 8 in October.

The Goethe-Institut organises a seminar for teachers of German from both communities at the Ledra Palace Hotel.

In collaboration with the Nicosia Municipality, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Association for the Protection of the Environment in Cyprus, the Goethe-Institut organises the exhibition To be or not to be on the industrial destruction of nature, from 1 until 16 June 1993at Famagusta Gate.

An event with Cypriot dances, songs and music is held on 16 June 1995 at the Ledra Palace Hotel, with almost 1,000 visitors from both communities.

The first European Dance Festival in Cyprus, organised by the Rialto Theatre and the Ministry of Education and Culture, is held in Nicosia with the participation of the Goethe-Institut. The following year, the dance theatre exhibition Dance Theatre Today: 30 Years of German Dance History is presented by the Goethe-Institut as part of the dance festival.

With the support of the Goethe-Zentrum, German teacher Johannes Patsalides travels to Germany in the summer with a group of German students from the Goethe-Zentrum and other schools and universities.

On 23 April 2003 the checkpoint at Ledra Palace is opened and people are allowed to cross. With the support of the Turkish-Cypriot-German Cultural Association, Turkish Cypriots are able to take part in courses and examinations at the Goethe-Zentrum from the autumn.

The Goethe-Zentrum, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Music Department of the Goethe-Institut, initiates a concert by the Cyprus Youth State Orchestra and the Mannheim Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Together with the Department of Computer Science of the University of Cyprus and with the support of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Telecommunications Authority of Cyprus, the Goethe-Zentrum organises the symposium Sustainability, Markets & Me–Innovations for the future on 2 February 2007.

On the occasion of the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Goethe-Zentrum organises several events.

The Goethe-Zentrum organises a series of events in cooperation with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The first exhibition of Go Ganesha Go – Elephants for Peace, an international participatory art movement initiated by Rose Marie Gnausch, takes place in Nicosia on both sides of the buffer zone. The project will continue until 2018.

In January 2011, German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits the Goethe-Zentrum on the occasion of her trip to Cyprus. Students of the Goethe-Zentrum have the opportunity to talk to Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Several events are held at the Goethe-Institut with the negotiating delegations of both populations and with contributions from experts from Germany who report on the problems and procedures of German reunification.

Paphos is the European Capital of Culture and the Goethe-Institut Cyprus participates in the official Pafos 2017 programme with a guest performance by Rimini Protokoll and a performance Myths and tales from across the divide by Achim Wieland and Marios Ioannou. The performers are Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

The Goethe-Institut Cyprus introduces four-language communication on its website in order to consciously address and involve even more inhabitants of the island. In addition to German and English, communication is now also in Greek and Turkish.

From September 2018, the Goethe-Institut will also offer German lessons in Paphos.

The Goethe-Institut celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of Bauhaus and organises a series of events including exhibitions, film screenings, a dance performance and a conference, which will take place in March and April.

The work of the Cypriot architect Fivos Polydorides will also be presented as part of the exhibition. On the occasion of the opening, Alexis Papadopoulos will talk to the 93-year-old architect, who himself studied with Bauhaus students, about the history of modern architecture in Cyprus. This is Fivos Polydorides' last exhibition before his death in September of the same year. The series of events is held in collaboration with the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Nicosia, with Echo Arts and Dance Gate Nicosia.

In the context of the German presidency of the European Council, the project The Disappearing Wall takes place, celebrating European culture with a large collection of quotations and an interactive installation. In autumn, the wall is presented at two locations and on both sides of the Green Line: Faneromeni Square and Sarayönü Square. The third event planned for Limassol cannot take place due to rising infection figures at the end of November and will be presented in June 2021.

Moving Silence takes place for the 10th time in Cyprus in collaboration with ARTos Foundation, but under different circumstances due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, an exchange between musicians and filmmakers is possible and the event is successfully held in physical and digital space.

From April to October 2021, the Goethe-Institut Cyprus will celebrate Beuys' 100th birthday with a series of events curated by Marina Christodoulidou, consisting of an artist workshop, an exhibition, film screenings and a conversation with Rhea Thönges-Stringaris, art historian and friend of Beuys.

The Goethe-Institut is celebrating 60 years in Cyprus: first as the Goethe-Institut Nicosia from 1961 to 1999, then as the Goethe-Zentrum from 2000 to 2011 and from June 2011 again as the Goethe-Institut Cyprus.