Goethe Institut is a beacon of German Culture. It is a non-profit German cultural association operational worldwide with 158 active institutes. They promote the study of German abroad and encourage international cultural exchange. In the heart of Central London, one Institute is situated in an elegant building directly opposite Imperial College in South Kensington.
The institute offers a large variety of activities and courses. In addition to learning German, you can come here to see some of the greatest German films, attend a talk, challenge yourself in an escape room, and more. The films and escape rooms particularly are great entertainment, promoting German to be learned in a fun and enjoyable manner.
It has recently given over part of its ground floor to the most impressive branch to date of Stein’s ‘Berlin’ restaurant, although it serves essentially Bavarian classics. It nicely compliments the Polish Hearth restaurant in the Polish Embassy almost next door.
The escape room which is all in German offers a sense of mystery and challenge, causing students to use their problem-solving skills whilst also practicing the language, simulating how it is used and spoken in the real world. Friendly competition is also encouraged as you are put against different groups, finding out who can finish the puzzles first. One out of many different simulated variants of the escape room involves chasing down a hacker using different clues.
Although the technology used sometimes malfunctioned, the staff present assisted, so this was not a large issue. The entire escape room has a time limit of 90 minutes, but it is usually finished quicker than this. I had also interviewed one of the staff, Lucy, who I asked about the courses and teaching offered. She told me, “The Institut offers many different courses depending on your goals and aims and the depth of the German you want to learn. There are different levels ranging from A1 to C1. We teach German 100% in German and in doing so offer a completely immersive experience. Our instructors teach with modern and innovative methods that are effective for language learning. Because of the challenges faced from the Covid19 pandemic, we also offer online training where you can learn at your own pace.”
The place also possesses an impressive library with a massive collection of German books. The library is also very modern with a robotic assistant to guide you.
Overall, the experience in the Goethe Institut is very beneficial to any student looking to learn German whilst also being enjoyable. There are no other places that promote German or its culture like the Goethe Institut, making it truly a great place, especially on trips.
To find out more you can visit the website: https://www.goethe.de/en/index.html
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