The story
Founded by Government of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1951.1
1951: The government of the German Federal republic replaced the former Deutsche Akademie with the new Goethe-Institut.
1952: The first Goethe-Institut opened in Athens.
1953: The first language courses run by the Goethe-Institut began in Bad Reichenhall. Due to growing demand, new centres of learning were opened in Murnau and Kochel, the focus of selection being on towns which were small and idyllic and which showed post-war Germany at its best. Lessons were taught based on the first textbook developed by the Goethe-Institut, known by its authors' names "Schulz-Griesbach".
1953–1955: The first foreign lectureships of what was the German Academy were taken over by the Goethe-Institut. Responsibilities included German tuition, teacher training and providing a programme of cultural events to accompany courses.
1959–1960: On the initiative of the head of the arts sector of the Foreign Office, Dieter Sattler, the Goethe-Institut gradually took over all existing German cultural institutes abroad.
1962: A Goethe-Institut opened in Malaysia with more than 200 students enrolled.
1968: Influenced by the student revolts of the late 1960s the Goethe-Institut readjusted its programme of cultural events to include socio-political topics and avant-garde art.
1970: Acting on behalf of the Foreign Office, German politician Ralf Dahrendorf developed his "guiding principles for foreign cultural policy". Cultural work involving dialogue and partnership was declared "the third pillar of German foreign policy". During the Willy Brandt era, the concept of "extended culture" formed the basis of activities at the Goethe-Institut.
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1976: The Foreign Office and the Goethe-Institut signed a general agreement governing the status of the Goethe-Institut, henceforth an independent cultural organisation.
1980: A new plan regarding the location of institutes within Germany was drawn up. Course venues in small towns, mostly in Bavaria, were replaced by institutes in cities and university towns.
1989–1990: The fall of the Berlin Wall marked a turning point for the Goethe-Institut. Its activities in the 1990s were centered on Eastern Europe, where numerous new institutes were set up.
2001: The Goethe-Institut merged with the cultural organization Inter Nationes.
2004: The Goethe-Institut established the first Western information centre in Pyongyang, North Korea, operational until 2009. The Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes also reverted to its original and official name, Goethe-Institut (GI).
2005: The Goethe-Institut was honoured with the Prince of Asturias Prize of Spain.
2010: Italian cartoonist Bruno Bozzetto created the new cartoon film Va Bene for the institute.
2014: A Goethe-Institut opened in Myanmar's capital Yangon.
From Wikipedia’s article on Goethe-Institut, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5