On Saturday, 14 June, the 89th Annual General Assembly of the Goethe-Gesellschaft in Weimar e.V., which was held under the theme “Goethe and Nature. Amazement – Research – Empathy.” which took place from 13-15 June 2025, the first General Assembly of the international association European Goethe Ways was an item on the agenda. Since the founding meeting of the association in Ilmenau on 30 June 2024, three new members have been gained: the Goethe Society Ilmenau-Stützerbach e.V., the city of Asch in the Czech Republic and the association Les Amis de la Route de Goethe 1792 in France. The association now consists of members from five different countries (Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland and the Czech Republic)

Furthermore, a 15-person Scientific Committee was convened during the General Assembly. The members of this Scientific Committee represent different scientific areas and are experts in their field. They come from Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland.

The meeting was also attended by two potential new members, the Interlaken Tourism Museum Association from Switzerland and the Goethe Museum in Düsseldorf. The application to become a European Cultural Route of the Council of Europe is already planned for next year.

The vice president of the association, Hannes Höfer, was delighted: ‘The first general meeting of the “European Goethe Ways” association not only reaffirmed our common goals but also showed that our network is growing – we warmly welcome the new members and look forward to future cooperation and many projects in the footsteps of Goethe in Europe.’

Caption: Group photo of the participants of the General Assembly of the international association European Goethe Ways in Weimar on 14 June 2025.

Dr Daniela Stefanie Hauf MA