© Open Source
1990
German Reunification
Opening of the Goethe-Institut Washington
"I remember my time at the Goethe-Institut Washington as a challenging and interesting task, as I was entrusted with founding the institute in the capital of our most important ally, in the midst of the reunification of Germany." Ute Gräfin Baudissin
Germany was reunified on October 3rd 1990. The Goethe-Institut Washington was established, expanding the extensive network of the German cultural institute in the US. At that time, it already had a presence in Boston, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Ann Arbor, Houston, and St Louis. One of the first events was the screening of “Die Weiße Rose” in close cooperation with the Jewish Film Festival. The film retells the story of resistance against Nazi rule in Germany. Memory culture remains one of our key topics to this day.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
1991
Tribute To Germany in Cooperation With the Kennedy Center
The Goethe-Institut began to establish itself in the cultural scene of the US capital with its participation in a major festival celebrating German reunification. In close cooperation with prominent arts institutions such as the Kennedy Center and our partners at the German Historical Institute, this festival, supported by the German Foreign Office, set the tone for future years.
German President Richard von Weizsäcker attended the festival, emphasizing the importance of cultural relationships across the Atlantic.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
1992
Cinematic Cooperations
Film is perhaps the most accessible medium to explore another culture. Since 1992, the Goethe-Institut has featured new releases from Germany and German-speaking countries and has brought many emerging and established filmmakers to the US. This initiative led to the creation of the brand FILM NEU. Initially, films were screened at major art house theaters such as the AFI, the Kennedy Center, the Key Theatre in Georgetown, and Visions on Dupont. E-Street Cinema became the home of German film until about 2019.
Although many of these theaters and cinemas do not exist anymore, German film continues to thrive on the screen and our sister festivals, Berlin & Beyond in San Francisco and German Currents in Los Angeles, continue to provide us with valuable inspiration.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
1993
Talking About Culture, Thinking About Policy
"Dr. Dieta Sixt, the director at the time of our move to 7th Street NW, brought a sense of German and European design to the space. When visitors entered the Goethe-Institut they knew they were entering a space that was different – and definitely foreign. Working there meant having to learn different ways of organizing space and time." Bill Gilcher
Culture and policy are inseparable: Three discussions about cultural policy with the new heads of federal cultural agencies – the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services – and their German counterparts reflected on evolving attitudes and strategies towards culture at the dawn of the digital age.
Co-sponsored by the Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung. Edited video produced by the University of Maryland University College, 1993.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
1994
Mo Edoga and the Tower of the Potomac
Nigerian-born artist Mo Edoga began collecting driftwood along the Rhine River in 1988, after massive floods had hit the Rhine Valley. His works were showcased at Documenta IX in Kassel in 1992. The Goethe-Institut brought Edoga to the US capital, where. with the help of volunteers and school groups from Northern Virginia and Maryland, the artist created a massive, temporary wooden artwork on the banks of the Potomac River.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
1995
50 Years after the End of WW2
The Goethe-Institut commemorated the anniversary with a series of talks and screenings that highlighted the role of the US and its allies in the liberation of Europe and Germany from Nazi rule. This was also the year the institute began a long running collaboration with the National Museum of Women in the Arts, featuring young female artists and their works from both sides of the Atlantic.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
1996
The “Pride of Baltimore II” and the Cyberclipper
The “Pride of Baltimore II” and the Cyberclipper: As a modern “Baltimore Clipper” sailed across the Atlantic from Baltimore to Hamburg, students and teachers of German were invited to follow the journey online and interact with scientists and artists. This initiative was conducted in cooperation with the Contemporary Museum Baltimore.
Further event this year: Voice as a Bridge: A Quartet of Contemporary German Poets. As a result of our longstanding cooperation and event series with the Library of Congress (“The Poet and the Poem from the Library of Congress”), the Goethe-Institut offices in Washington and Seattle, together with Literarisches Colloquium Berlin, published a multimedia package on young American and German poets. Remarkably, 28 years after its publication, the book is still available for purchase online!
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© Goethe-Institut / THE CONTEMPORARY
© Goethe-Institut
1997
Dialogue Between Capitals
"I remember my time at the Goethe-Institut Washington as highly rewarding and our work being officially recognized by the White House, the District of Columbia and leading prestigious institutions as well as by the local community." Werner Ott
As Berlin continued to reinvent itself and heal post-war wounds, the Goethe-Institut initiated an exchange between the German capital and Washington, DC, focusing on inner city renewal and the roles of preservation and modern architecture. The program centered around the National Building Museum and was supported by Lufthansa, which at the time offered direct flights from DC to Berlin.
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Werner Ott in front of Chicago's skyline © Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
1998
Mondays at the Movies – and More
The opening of its own in-house cinema transported the Goethe-Institut into a new role in DC’s cultural scene. While Mondays were dedicated to German films, the venue was used on most other nights by other embassies and cultural institutions. This made the institute a lively and diverse gathering place.
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© Goethe-Institut
@ Goethe-Institut
1999
10 Year Anniversary Fall of the Berlin Wall
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – 250 years "Wahlverwandtschaften"
Discover now
1999
10 Year Anniversary Fall of the Berlin Wall
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – 250 years "Wahlverwandtschaften"
To celebrate the 250th birthday of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the Goethe-Institut organized a multitude of events around the globe. As a tribute to Goethe and the diverse international community in Washington, the institute hosted a marathon reading of his work Die Wahlverwandtschaften (Elected Affinities) in many languages.
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was commemorated and celebrated with a series of events at the Newseum, a former museum in Washington, DC.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
2000
Everywhere You Look
German-speaking immigrants to the United States were so numerous that you can find their influence everywhere: in the built environment, in journalism, in politics, in the arts. Washington's German-speaking community had an enormous impact and presence, particularly where the Goethe-Institut had its Washington office. German businesses, houses of worship, architects, artists, and residents left an indelible mark on what was Washington’s principal business and shopping district in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Their influence continues to shape the nation's capital today.
Learn more here.
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Map of the Everywhere You Look Project © Goethe-Institut / Google Maps
© Open Source
2001
SEPTEMBER 11 AND ITS AFTERMATH
Considered Response
"Working for the Goethe-Institut Washington meant to me: Listening and connecting cultures. I remember my time at the Goethe-Institut Washington as a constant learning process.“
Sylvia Blume
Considered Response: In the wake of September 11, the Goethe-Institut and other cultural institutes organized a series of events to discuss how culture could and should respond to terrorism, and whether culture could play a role in preventing it.
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© Open Source
© Goethe-Institut
2002
10th Anniversary of FilmNeu
The annual festival showcasing new German-language films from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland celebrated its 10th anniversary.
This milestone event was held in cooperation with the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Embassy of Switzerland, and the Washington Jewish Film Festival.
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© Goethe-Institut
Courtesy of Input
2003
Best of Input
“Working for the Goethe-Institut Washington meant for me being able to address topics from a broad variety of fields, collaborating with dedicated colleagues highly experienced in the cultural environment of the U.S. Capital. It was always easy to find partners on both the American and German sides eager to work with us. Particularly inspiring was the cooperation with the cultural institutions of other European countries, conveying a shared image of Europe.” Heribert Uschtrin
Best of Input – annually showcased high-quality TV productions and TV producers from around the world. At that time, this initiative evolved into a global project organized by numerous Goethe-Instituts, with the goal of restoring the value of television.
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© Input © Goethe-Institut
© Hava Beller
2004
Eastern Expansion of the European Union
European Film Festival
On May 1, eight Eastern European countries, along with Malta and Cyprus, joined the European Union. To celebrate this expansion, the European Delegation kick-started the European Film Festival in close cooperation with the Goethe-Institut. The festival was held – where else – at the Goethe-Institut and continues to this day, now at the AFI, showcasing new and otherwise unknown films from all over Europe.
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Scene from the film "The Burning Wall" © Hava Kohav Beller
© Goethe-Institut
2005
Adolf - Who?
Adolf Cluss: Architect and Revolutionary
Cluss was a German-born American immigrant who became one of the most significant, influential, and prolific architects in Washington, D.C., during the mid to late 19th century. He was responsible for the design of numerous schools and other notable public buildings in the capital, many of which still stand today. Cluss also served as a City Engineer and a Building Inspector for the Board of Public Works.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his death, the Smithsonian Institution, Historical Society of Washington, D.C., City of Washington, DC, Sumner School Museum and Archives, German Historical Institute, Stadtarchiv Heilbronn, Eastern Market, and the Goethe-Institut organized a diverse array of events. These includedstereoview projections, walking tours, lecture series at different venues, a concert at the Library of Congress, and exhibitions in Washington and Heilbronn.
The program was supported by the Transatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Recovery Program of the Ministry of Economics and Labor.
For more information, see
www.adolfcluss.org
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Charles Sumner School in Washington, D.C. © CC BY-SA 4.0
© Goethe-Institut
2006
Football World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup took place in Germany and was held under the motto "A time to make friends." Italy won the tournament in the final against France in a penalty shootout.
Also noteworthy:
Max Liebermann: Works on Paper. Exhibition, 2006. Modern Art and Modern Germany
The National Gallery of Art showcased works by German impressionist artist Max Liebermann and captivated US art lovers. The Goethe-Institut and the American Goethe Society collaborated with the gallery to present in series of lectures, workshops, and the publication of a book. Curated by Prof. Marion Deshmukh.
TOP moves to Washington
In its fifth year since inception, the Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP) relocated from Atlanta, GA, to Washington, DC. TOP engages social studies teachers nationwide through study trips to Germany, on-site and later digital seminars. TOP presents a modern and up-to-date image of Germany to make “Germany interesting again” for classroom teaching. The program continues to thrive today, supported by Deutsche Bank, Siemens, the German Federal Foreign Office, and the Goethe-Institut, which also manages the project.
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Painting of the Wannsee in Berlin by Max Liebermann © Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
2007
Hilda Stern Cohen, Poet, Teacher, Holocaust Survivor
Hilda Stern-Cohen was a Holocaust survivor from rural Germany who passed away in Baltimore in 1997. Her talent and her work as a writer and a poet were only discovered and appreciated posthumously.
In collaboration with Dr. Werner V. Cohen and family, the Arbeitsstelle für Holocaustliteratur (Center for Holocaust Literature) of the Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, the Washington Fringe Festival, and other organizations, the Goethe-Institut paid tribute to Hilda Stern-Cohen.
Books in German and English, story-telling performance by Gail Rosen (Baltimore) in the context of Washington Fringe Festival, performance-based film shot on location in Germany, Poland, Austria, and the USA. 2003–2008.
Learn more here.
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© Goethe-Institut / Hilda Stern Cohen
© EuroAsia Shorts
2008
EuroAsia Shorts
EuroAsia Shorts: Since 2006, Europe, Asia, and America have united in this remarkable series, presenting and pairing short films from a European and an Asian country in one night. Audiences have the opportunity to compare styles, topics, and narratives from vastly different backgrounds, and: they always find common ground. EuroAsia Shorts was initiated by the Korean Cultural Institute and the Goethe-Institut. The series continues to thrive today.
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© EuroAsia Shorts
© Goethe-Institut
2009
Iconoclash: Political Imagery From the Berlin Wall to German Unification
“A new art exhibit has just opened at the Goethe Institut in Washington, D.C. The show is "Iconoclash- Political Imagery from the Berlin Wall to German Unification." It features transformed objects from the former GDR, including busts of Lenin, sections of the Berlin Wall, clothing and food. All of the memorabilia have been "tampered" with in some way. Marion Deshmukh, the co-curator of "Iconoclash," sat down with NPR Berlin's Sara Richards to discuss the exhibit. Deshmukh is a professor of German history and German Art History at George Mason University.”
Exhibition, 2009. Co-curated by Marion Deshmukh.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
2010
Zeitgeist DC
The Goethe-Institut in close cooperation with our friends at the Swiss and Austrian embassies started a series featuring young dramaturgs and authors as well as their plays: „Participatory Theater: The Intersection of Theater and Social Action“ was at the program’s focus, which was designed in cooperation with the Shakespeare Theatre Company.
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© Goethe-Institut
Courtesy of Lunch Bytes
2011
Lunch Bytes - Thinking about Art and Digital Culture
"I remember my time at the Goethe-Institut Washington as 18 years of a fascinating inter-cultural dialogue that helped me better understand myself, my America, Germany in the context of Europe, and our places in the larger world. As an American with a mixed German and other European background, I found myself working with others to advance culture (with or without a capital C)." William Gilcher
“Lunch Bytes. Thinking about Art and Digital Culture” connected the digital and the art world through a collaboration with Hirshhorn Museum and the Swiss Embassy. Initiated by Melanie Bühler, Lunch Bytes began as a series of lunchtime art conversations reflecting on the cultural changes brought about by digital technologies. The project grew into an online platform and international series that examined the consequences of the increasing ubiquity of digital tools in global and local art contexts, as well as the role of the internet in a wide range of artistic practices.
Learn more about the project through an interview with Melanie Bühler, on the website of the Hirschhorn Museum, and by reading the transcript of a speech that our Secretary General and Chairman, Johannes Ebert, gave in 2015 for the symposium "Lunch Bytes. Thinking about Art and Digital Culture".
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© Jens Keiner / Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
2012
Daniel Libeskind – Architecture and Memory
American architect Daniel Libeskind gained widespread recognition in Germany through his design for the new Jewish Museum in Berlin. The Goethe-Institut shone a spotlight on his work on both sides of the Atlantic.
Learn more here.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
2013
Baltimore
Creative Placemaking
The European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC) teamed up on a yearlong project exploring the role of art and creativity in neglected neighborhoods. The initiative included a conference and street actions such as graffiti, block parties, festivals, and dance performances, all of which brought renewed attention to the city of Baltimore.
Learn more here.
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© Goethe-Institut / Martha Cooper
Bildrechte@picture alliance imageBROKER
2014
25 Years Fall of the Berlin Wall
This year was marked by the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Notable events included:
The Role of Artists and the Arts in Creative Placemaking. Symposium in Baltimore with the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts and EUNIC. Learn more here.
Lords of the Valley: Roleplaying simulation game related to climate concerns. One of several events the Goethe-Institut hosted that utilized games as a medium to discuss broader issues. With the Embassy of Poland, Centre for Systems Solutions, and Worldwatch Institute.
Blue Note @75: Blue Note Records films, exhibitions, lectures, and concerts. Organized with the German Historical Institute, the Kennedy Center, and other organizations.
The Wall in our Heads: American, German, Current Perspectives. Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
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Keith Haring's Art in the Exhibit "The Wall in Our Heads" © Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
2015
Terrorist Attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris
Following the attacks on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, the Goethe-Institut and EUNIC organized a series of panels in cooperation with New York University. The panels featured prominent figures such as Salman Rushdie, Slavoj Žižek, and others, debating the importance of freedom of speech, intercultural differences, and the role of religion in the 21st century.
Learn more here.
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Slavoj Žižek at NYU © Goethe-Institut / NYU
© Goethe-Institut
2016
The Plurality of Privacy in Five-Minute Plays (P3M5)
The Plurality of Privacy in Five-Minute Plays (P3M5) was a groundbreaking transatlantic theater project focused on the value of privacy. In cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Washington, theaters across the U.S. and Europe commissioned playwrights to create five-minute plays exploring the central question, “What does privacy mean to you in the digital age?” The results were presented in different formats by a network of theaters between January 2017 and June 2018. These performances, staged readings, and community forums created an artistic and cultural dialogue centered around varying American and European understandings of privacy.
Learn more here.
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#p3m5 project picture: What does privacy mean to you? #p3m5
© Goethe-Institut
2017
Digital Eye @BlindWhino
"A week after my arrival, Donald Trump was elected. We had to move out of K Street, so searching for new premises, co-designing and moving into them was of prime importance. Then came Wunderbar Together. And then came Covid. That was when I got to know the city really well. Then came January 6. Those were difficult, sometimes terrible times, and they were good times because of a circle of wonderful friends and colleagues (and a foosball table)." Andreas Ströhl
“Digital Eye @BlindWhino” was an exciting, interactive event that merged theater, film, and a live game show to explore how the Digital Age affects our everyday lives. As technology moves towards a more intimate experience with its users, we find our private lives becoming commodities for a global market of data-miners, phishers, and hackers. Our private selves— what we watch, what we like, where we go —can all be used overtly or covertly to influence our actions. This rang true in 2017 and is even more relevant in 2025!
Learn more about this project here.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
2018
Wunderbar Together
In October, Germany kicked off Wunderbar Together, a major year-long initiative to celebrate the German-American friendship.
Wunderbar Together was initiated by the German Federal Foreign Office, implemented by the Goethe-Institut, and supported by the Federation of German Industries (BDI). The campaign showcased the transatlantic partnership, emphasizing areas of German-American cooperation in business, industry, politics, education, culture, science, civil society, and sports and lifestyle. This initiative culminated in the fall of 2019 with a celebration commemorating the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Learn more here.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
2019
The WanderbUS travels across the roads of the USA
As part of Wunderbar Together, the Goethe-Institut sent its „WanderbUS“ on a nationwide tour across the continental United States. The WanderbUS was a travelling show and mobile exhibit that visited high schools, universities, and public events. A small team of education professionals performed entertaining and informative programs at each stop. The aim of the WanderbUS was to provide an entertaining and informative introduction to German culture, the German language, and the many facets of German-American friendship. After 2019 the WanderbUS transitioned to the digital space and continues to this day to entertain and inform students across the US.
Learn more here.
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The “WanderbUS” is presently travelling American highways Photo: Goethe-Institut Washington
2020
COVID Virus Pandemic
Lockdown and Going Digital
Washington, D.C.’s mayor announced the first lockdown at the end of March, drastically changing the cultural and educational life of the city and beyond
The Goethe-Institut adapted by going digital. After a few cautious attempts prior to 2020, the institute realized that our student community was eager to continue learning – online and at home. What followed was the creation of ROKKO – providing our students with the best possible online experience, from beginners to advanced. Many other projects like the WanderbUS moved to the digital sphere.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
2021
The Big Pond and The Big Ponder
As the pandemic persisted, the institute developed a fun and educational new platform: a transatlantic podcast that explored abstract concepts and phenomena through personal radio essays. In each episode, one of our producers transformed a broad topic into a captivating story told from a U.S.-German perspective.
Originally part of Wunderbar Together, the Big Ponder was established in cooperation with radio PRX and continued until 2022.
Learn more here.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
2022
Monuments of the Future
Goethe-Institut and Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb (Federal Agency for Civic Education) invited international artists, historians, practitioners, and a growing transatlantic coalition of changemakers from the U.S., Canada, and Germany to envision the future of memory spaces.
Monuments of the Future was a project by the Goethe-Institut, in partnership with the Academy of Media Arts, Cologne, Harvard University's History Design Studio, and Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU), and with financial support from the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.
© Goethe-Institut
2023
Rosenstraße Protests
“I began my tenure in Washington under challenging circumstances, facing the dual need to re-engage audiences post-pandemic and navigate very tight budgets. In times of a perceived growing distance between the US and Germany, our work here is more relevant than ever. We now aim to better serve partners and audiences across the entire US while maintaining strong local roots.” Klaus Krischok
As part of the institute’s focus on memory the Goethe-Institut brought to light one the rare and heroic instances of public protest against the Nazi regime: the women of the Rosenstraße in Berlin, who demanded the release of their husbands from imprisonment.
Learn more about this project here.
This is also the year we launched the new online magazine Gegenüber.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
2024
Foreign Correspondent
What is the state of the transatlantic friendship in 2024? What moves us on both sides ofthe Atlantic? Are we still friends or are we turning into competitors? We posed these and many more questions to numerous German journalists in Washington, D.C. and other U.S. cities, and paired them with counterparts from the Washington Post, the New Yorker, the Boston Globe, and other U.S. publications.
The often surprising results of these debates can still be followed on our new online magazine Gegenuber: Foreign Correspondent.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
2025
Happy Birthday, GOLD!
GOLD, the acronym for our German Online Language Department, is celebrating its anniversary. Recognizing that students in the post-pandemic era prefer to learn German from the comfort of their homes, and online, we have transitioned from in-house courses to investing invest more in our digital offerings. Whereas our former clientele came from a 10-15 miles radius, we now proudly reach German language enthusiasts from Alaska to Maine, Hawaii to Florida, and of course, Washington, D.C.
In March, we also had the honor of welcoming and celebrating Gesche Joost, the new president of the Goethe-Institut, on her first official international visit in this role.
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© Goethe-Institut
© Goethe-Institut
With special thanks to...
Research: Klaus Krischok and Konstantin Monath
Realization: Konstantin Monath, Allison Paul, Lisa Olbering
Images: Ifa Archive and Goethe-Institut Archive
Special thanks to Barbara Payer @ ifa
Special thanks also to: William Gilcher, Sylvia Blume, Norma Broadwater, Ute Gräfin Baudissin, Werner Ott, Heribert Uschtrin, Ulrich Braeß, Wilfred Eckstein