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Learning German in Hamburg

Angeline and Luigi, German Course 2019 Photo: Goethe-Institut, David Höpfner
Angeline and Luigi, German Course 2019

Cosmopolitan learning in the port city.

Acclaimed Elbphilharmonie, lively landing stages, infamous Reeperbahn: Hamburg is Germany’s gateway to the world since many centuries. Attend a German course in Hamburg – one of Germany’s most diverse cities! #goethehamburg

Our institute in Hamburg

Goethe-Institut HamburgPhoto: Goethe-Institut
MediothekPhoto: Goethe-Institut, David Höpfner
MediothekPhoto: Goethe-Institut, David Höpfner

The Goethe-Institut Hamburg is at the heart of the city, near the Binnenalster lake and the gallery/museum district known as the Kunstmeile, or 'Art Mile'. It occupies the top two floors of an impressive 19th-century building. The central location at the main train station ensures optimal transportation links.

Facilities and services

  • 10 well-equipped classrooms
  • Media resource center
  • WLAN
  • Free access to the central library on the ground floor
  • Accommodation
  • Medical insurance (optional)
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Hamburg: Hanseatic city with a great history

  • Port anniversary celebration Photo: www.mediaserver.hamburg.de, Christian Spahrbier
  • Speicherstadt warehouses Photo: Hamburg Tourismus
  • Elbphilharmonie Photo: www.mediaserver.hamburg.de, Thies Raetzke
Hamburg's economic importance for Northern Germany can hardly be overestimated. It is a city of superlatives: second largest port in Europe, third largest location for aircraft construction worldwide, largest railway junction in Northern Europe, highest population share of millionaires in Germany. Its main industries are shipbuilding, maritime economy, logistics, aviation, mechanical engineering, banking, insurance and food. With four universities and 30 colleges, there is also a supply of young scientific and economic talent. As a member and most important city of the German Hanseatic League, Hamburg has many famous monuments and buildings. Speicherstadt and the Kontorhaus quarter have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2015. You should also visit the world-famous fish market in Hamburg at least once, take a harbor tour and visit the old landing bridges from the 19th century.

Culture

In terms of popular music, Hamburg is the undisputed No. 1 in Germany. The music and entertainment industry relies on a robust infrastructure of over 100 music clubs, 280 music publishers and 200 labels, not to mention countless bands. The world's most famous district of Hamburg, the St. Pauli party district, has certainly helped in that development. Between Reeperbahn and Große Freiheit, visitors from all over the world encounter a unique mix of legendary clubs, bars, pubs and theatres. The career of the Beatles once began in the Star Club, they played here every night for two years before they became a worldwide phenomenon. For lovers of classical music, Hamburg offers the already legendary Elbphilharmonie, affectionately known locally as "Elphi". The Hamburg State Opera is also considered a leading address in Germany. In addition, there are a large number of privately run theatres. Especially when it comes to musicals, Hamburg is the center of Germany. Around 60 museums display collections of art, history and science, some of them of international significance. With more than 10,000 freelance artists living and working here, Hamburg is the most creative metropolises in Germany after Berlin.

Leisure

Hamburgers love water. The two rivers, Elbe and Alster, the impressive harbor and countless canals, fleets and bridges give the Hanseatic city its unique maritime charm. The festivals are also popular - at the beginning of May the harbor birthday is celebrated, at the beginning of August the Alster pleasure with the international fireworks festival. Hamburg also offers a wide range of sports activities: the green metropolis is ideal for exploring by bike. The Alster in the middle of the city invites you to go sailing. You can go pedal boating or rowing on the Alster canals - and in the immediate vicinity of Hamburg there are many attractive places and landscapes to discover by bike. In summer, the renowned Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival offers an opportunity to discover the surrounding area of Hamburg. Just an hour's drive away from Hamburg's city hall is a unique North Sea natural paradise: the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site.
 

German courses in Hamburg

The Goethe-Institut in Hamburg is located near the main railway station in a magnificent 19th century building with excellent public transport connections. Finding the right German course for you at the Goethe-Institut Hamburg shouldn't be a problem: you can be taught and examined at all levels from A1 to C2. You want to improve your German language skills quickly? With an intensive course, which includes 80 hours of German lessons in 16 days, you will make a big step forward in a short time. Do you want to improve your German language skills alongside your job? We offer evening German courses for you.

Are you considering studying at one of Hamburg’s universities? With a German course in Hamburg you can get to know the old Hanseatic city on the Elbe and make contacts even before you start your studies. We also offer the German courses of the Goethe-Institut Hamburg as an online service, either in a group with a teacher or for independent learners without a teacher. If you want to take part in the German courses of the Goethe-Institut, you must first take a placement test to assess your current German language skills. Levels A1 and A2 are for beginners in German, B1 and B2 are for participants who already know the basics, C1 and C2 are the highest possible German courses. With the Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom at the end of the C2 course you will have an internationally recognized language diploma in your pocket that also qualifies you to study at any university in Germany.

You still need accommodation for your German course in Hamburg? We offer you accommodation in one of our guesthouses, but you can also be placed with a private host. This way you will always have a conversation partner with whom you can try out your new German language skills.  In order to enable our course participants to use their language skills outside of the German lessons, we offer an extensive leisure and cultural program. 
Study support included

Study support included

Whether working on exam training, grammar, vocabulary or correction exercises, a teacher will be available to provide advice and assistance to course participants every day in the media library (12:30pm to 1:30pm).

Ann, 33 course participant from the US Photo: Goethe-Institut Frankfurt

I used to find learning German really difficult and I tried lots of different things. But on the language course at the Goethe-Institut, I suddenly started making rapid progress.

Ann, 33 course participant from the US

Any other questions? +49 40 238543-0 We would be happy to advise you: hamburg@goethe.de

Booking forms

You can register for German courses online in our shop and pay via Visa/Mastercard or PayPal. Customers who do not pay their course fee themselves can use our interactive booking form to register and provide us with a different billing address. Selecting your choice of course location will send the form to the course location of your choice.

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Further information

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