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Goethe portrait on the wall of the Goethehaus in Rome
Image: Imago Images/Agenzia Romano Siciliani

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), Germany's most renowned poet, was also known for his plays, literature and aesthetic criticism as well as treatises on botany, anatomy and color.

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All Content on this topic

Moon walk

The moon in art

The moon has been inspiring poets, painters and musicians for thousands of years. We take a look back.
September 28, 2015
Fack Ju Göthe 2. Copyright: Constantin Film Verleih GmbH / Christoph Assmann.

Elyas M'Barek stars in 'Fack Ju Göhte 2'

Elyas M'Barek became an overnight star in Germany with his performance in "Fack Ju Göthe." Now he stars in the sequel.
September 9, 2015
Professor Sadik Al-Azm, DW/Khaled Salameh

Syrian philosopher Sadik Al-Azm receives Goethe Medal

A Syrian refugee is among the three winners of Germany's Goethe Medal for intercultural understanding.
August 28, 2015
Students on campus of Goethe University

Overdue move in Holocaust studies

Seventy years after the end of World War II, Germany has set up a professorship for Holocaust studies.
July 24, 2015
Bundesaußenminister Steinmeier besucht Kuba

Germany, Cuba sign framework accords

Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier visits Havanna in a bid to "readjust" ties with post-Cold War Cuba.
July 16, 2015
Poster for a Nollywood film, Copyright: picture-alliance/dpa

How free is the media in Nigeria?

Culture and media in Nigeria are free - but still under surveillance of the government censorship board
July 5, 2015
Alexander Puschkin

German-Russian cultural year

Germany and Russia celebrated a culture year in the midst of political crises.
June 5, 2015
Frankfurt

Frankfurt - Germany’s Financial Heart

The skyline of Hessen's biggest city represents the power of money and the art of architecture. Romans and emperors left their mark on the historic streets. And the writer Goethe was born here.
CultureMay 30, 201504:25 min
Bildergalerie Ausstellung River Tales. Fotografische Narrative entlang des Nils

'River Tales': People of the Nile

The Goethe Institute in Dessau features the works of three young photographers depicting life by the Nile River.
April 24, 201510 images
Symbolbild Deutschunterricht

German in the world

While German as a foreign language is booming in emerging countries, it may be imperiled in France. Why?
CultureApril 22, 2015
A teacher writes in German on a blackboard

Growing number of German learners

The number of people learning German as a foreign language has grown for the first time in 15 years, a survey says.
April 21, 2015
Weimar

Weimar – Goethe, Schiller & Co

Weimar is known as home to poets and philosophers. 3.5 million tourists a year visit the city in Thüringen to retrace Goethe's footsteps.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 28, 201504:58 min
Deutschland Griechenland EU Flagge vor Kanzleramt in berlin

Athens threatens to seize German assets

Berlin again rejects reparation calls, while Greece threatens the seizure of assets.
March 11, 2015
Wartburg near Eisenach, Copyright: franke182

Heard of Thuringia?

Goethe and Bauhaus both come from this German state. It's planning to get more international tourists to come..
February 3, 2015
Ausstellung Von Mozart bis Napoleon im Goethe- und Schiller-Archiv in Weimar

Goethe the collector

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's fascination with collecting signed manuscripts.
January 22, 2015
A sandwich board in front of a Berlin bookstore that reads: "Servying anonymous customers since 2004"

Germans and their books

DW's Nancy Isenson shares her first German book and explains why tomes are national treasures here.
Digital WorldDecember 17, 201410 images

Hope for Myanmar

After years of dictatorship, Myanmar is trying to reinvent itself. Many Burmese yearn for stability and cultural exchange. Since the beginning of 2014, the reopened Goethe Institute has been fostering projects.
PoliticsDecember 13, 201406:41 min
Beatriz Ricciardi and Pilar Lera in Weimar

Weimar with Tourists from Argentina

Beatriz Ricciardi and Pilar Lera have been friends for 50 years, and they've come to Weimar together. The home of Weimar Classicism is very much to their taste.
CultureDecember 13, 201404:39 min
Deutsch3.0 Veranstaltung Goethe Institut Berlin

Into the future with German 3.0

English remains the most-spoken language in the world, but German plays an important role as well - and not only as a cultural language. With "German 3.0," the Goethe Institute is examining the future of German.
December 3, 2014
Germany - interior of Schiller Residence in Weimar which has reopened after extensive repair work

Schiller residence reopened

The poet's house in Weimar has reopened to the public after renovation.
December 2, 2014
Anna Amalia Library in Weimar in flames on September 2, 2004, Copyright: Michael Paech dpa

Charred books

The director of the Anna Amalia Library recalls the night of the catastrophic fire.
September 1, 2014
Symbolbild Schengener Abkommen Visum Europa Reisefreiheit

German-language test no more

The European Court of Justice has overturned a German law requiring foreign spouses from certain non-EU countries to take a language test before receiving a visa. The ruling primarily affects Germany's Turkish minority.
July 10, 2014
Ausstellung Das Spiel hört erst auf, wenn es zu Ende ist EINSCHRÄNKUNG

The art of football

Artists from around the world put soccer in a different light - far away from professional stadiums.
CultureJune 17, 20149 images
Per Mertesacker Arsenal London

The Arsenal Double Club

The Arsenal Double Club is a unique initiative in language teaching through football.
June 4, 2014
Weimar

Weimar - from Goethe to Gropius

Weimar is known as home to poets and philosophers. Some 3.5 million tourists a year visit the city.
May 19, 2014
City Palace

Weimar - from Goethe to Gropius

Weimar is known as home to poets and philosophers. 3.5 million tourists a year visit the city to trace Goethe's footsteps. Walter Gropius, who founded the Bauhaus, shaped the style of modern architecture here.
CultureMay 17, 201405:49 min
Street sign in Weimar, Copyright: DW / J. Chase

Blast from the past

You can't visit Weimar without running into Goethe, concludes DW's Jefferson Chase.
April 28, 2014
04.04.2014 DW popXport Tonbandgerät

Tonbandgerät - Musical Ambassadors on High School Tour

Only a small minority of young Americans choose to study German. The Goethe Institut sent Tonbandgerät on a tour of the nation’s schools in a bid to change that. The Hamburg band hope to boost the appeal of their native language among US kids. Their tour includes eleven concerts from Seattle to Boston. We caught up with the indie-poppers in New York.
MusicApril 5, 201404:31 min
wartburg in eisenach

Below Wartburg Castle

Back in the middle ages, Eisenach's fame stretched far and wide. It was the seat of the landgraves of Thuringia who resided in the magnificent Wartburg Castle in the hills overlooking the town.
March 24, 2014
18.12.2014 DW Made in Germany Werner

Learning from Goethe - dm Drugstore Founder Götz Werner

Götz Werner opened his first drugstore 40 years ago. Today dm is Europe's leading drugstore chain, with 44,000 employees and an annual turnover just under 7 billion euros. Werner, who now is on the company's supervisory board, has never seen profit as his sole goal. He regards staff as creative capital who drive innovation.
BusinessDecember 24, 201304:23 min
A film still from Rainer Werner Fassbinder's movie, "The Bitter Tears of Petra Kant" from 1972, Copyright: Peter Gauhe

Learn German with film

An exhibition in Frankfurt shows how Fassbinder influenced artists and directors around the world.
November 28, 2013
A van in an urban setting has a poster on it for the Berlin Dayz festival, Photo: Felix Rettberg

Israel's infatuation with Berlin

For young Israelis, Berlin beckons with its free-spirited lifestyle and hot nightlife.
November 7, 2013

Weimar - a City Stroll with a "Goethe’s Muse” Tour Guide

City Guide Synje Jacobsen slips seemlessly into the role of Charlotte von Stein, Goethe's long-term lover and muse, and guides visitors through the historical city's hotspots. Her tour is, quite literally, a passage back in time.
CultureSeptember 7, 201305:27 min

Ticket nach Berlin – Trailer

September 3, 2013

Lernt Deutsch mit unserer Abenteuerspielshow

Welches Team gewinnt den Wettbewerb? Kommt mit auf eine spannende Reise quer durch Deutschland!
September 3, 2013
German books at the Beijing Book Fair (Photo: Silke Ballweg, Beijing) Peking)

Popular German books

The Beijing International Book Fair recently opened its doors for the 20th time.
September 2, 2013
The recipients of the 2013 Goethe Medals - the Iranian translator S. Mahmoud Hosseini Zad (l-r), Greek author Petros Markaris and the Indian publisher Naveen Kishore - awarded in Weimar 28 August 2013. Photo: Candy Welz/dpa

Trio win Goethe Medals

Germany's Goethe Institute has awarded its annual medal to publicists from Iran, India and Greece, saying culture and education remained essential for the world's coexistence and even its survival.
August 28, 2013
A bride with light skin and red hair kisses a dark-skinned groom with black hair. (Photo: Gina Smith)

Sprechen Sie deutsch?

The EU questions Germany's rules for spouse immigration, like the German language test.
August 10, 2013

Nearly forgotten

There's a little known link between composer Richard Wagner and the small town of Bad-Lauchstädt.
MusicMarch 4, 2013
Tour guides lead the group along a Johannesburg street, Photo: Aya Bach

Parallel worlds

Using performance art, the Goethe-Institut shows Johannesburg in a new light.
December 12, 2012
A dance workshop with Richard Siegal (Foto: Martin Baasch/GI) Tanzworkshop mit Richard Siegal (Mitte), aufgenommen 4.12.12 Foto rechtefrei vom GI zur Verfügung gestellt.

50 years "Goethe" in Nigeria

The Goethe-Instituts in Nigeria are celebrating their jubilee with a culture festival in Lagos
December 10, 2012
The Institute for Comparative Irrelevance in Frankfurt. Copyright: DW/Bianca von der Au

Sign of the times

An eviction notice for Frankfurt's last remaining student squat has failed to budge its occupants.
November 6, 2012

Young refugees learn German with Goethe

In Cologne, young refugees are learning German by performing their own adaptation of Goethe’s “Faust.” Theater is a way for them to improve their German skills, but also build their self-confidence.
LifestyleSeptember 18, 201204:15 min

Weimar - a City Stroll with a "Goethe’s Muse” Tour Guide

City Guide Synje Jacobsen slips seemlessly into the role of Charlotte von Stein, Goethe's long-term lover and muse, and guides visitors through the historical city's hotspots. Her tour is, quite literally, a passage back in time.
CultureSeptember 15, 201205:21 min

International Goethe

Young refugees are learning German by performing Goethe's legendary plays.
September 3, 2012

Goethe Medal

A Lithuanian Holocaust survivor and literary expert is honored for her commitment to reconciliation.
August 28, 2012
Busts of Goethe in the display

The modern Goethe on show

He's perhaps Germany's most famous author, but he was much more. A new display marking the 263rd anniversary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's birth at the Goethe National Museum in Weimar seeks to show that.
August 27, 2012
Dzevad Karahasan

Inspired words

Bosnian writer Dzevad Karahasan, a Goethe Medal winner, explains why Sarajevo is his muse
August 21, 2012
Weimar

Travel Video

This time we visit Weimar
July 28, 2012
Bolat Atabajev

Political statement

A Kazakh theater director turns his imprisonment into a national power play.
July 25, 2012