Legal Information
Legal notice, privacy policy, accessibility statement and cookie information for the website of Europäische Goethe-Wege e.V.
Legal Notice
Europäische Goethe-Wege e.V.
Burgplatz 4
DE-99423 Weimar, Germany
Email: info@goetheways.eu
Web: www.goetheways.eu
Registered association · Register of Associations no. VR 131551,
Amtsgericht Weimar (registered 17 September 2024)
Tax reference number: 162/141/23928, Finanzamt Jena
Recognised as serving charitable purposes pursuant to § 60a AO
(arts and culture, education, civic engagement).
Represented by the Board of Directors, acting jointly (§ 26 BGB):
Dr Hannes Höfer (President) · Françoise Tondre (Vice President) ·
Dr Gregor Heinrich Lersch (Treasurer)
Managing Director: Dr Daniela Stefanie Hauf M.A.
Responsible for content pursuant to § 18 (2) MStV: Europäische Goethe-Wege e.V., Burgplatz 4, DE-99423 Weimar
The association is neither obliged nor willing to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board (§ 36 VSBG).
Liability for content
As a provider of digital services we are responsible for our own content on these pages under the general law (§ 7 (1) DDG). Under §§ 8 to 10 DDG, however, we are not obliged to monitor transmitted or stored third-party information, or to investigate circumstances that indicate unlawful activity. Obligations to remove or block the use of information under the general law remain unaffected; liability in this respect arises only from the point at which a specific infringement becomes known. If we become aware of any such infringement, we will remove the content promptly.
Liability for links
This website contains links to external websites operated by third parties, over whose content we have no influence. We cannot accept any liability for that content. Responsibility for it lies with the respective provider or operator. Linked pages were checked for possible legal infringements at the time of linking; no unlawful content was apparent. Permanent monitoring of linked pages is not reasonable without concrete indications of an infringement. If we become aware of any infringement, we will remove the link promptly.
Copyright
The content and works created by the association on these pages are subject to German copyright law. Reproduction, adaptation, distribution and any form of exploitation beyond the limits of copyright require our written consent. Downloads and copies of this site are permitted for private, non-commercial use. Where content on this site was not created by the association, the copyright of third parties is respected and such content is identified as third-party content. Should you nevertheless become aware of a copyright infringement, please tell us and we will remove the content promptly.
Privacy Policy
1. Controller and contact
The controller for the processing of personal data on this website is Europäische Goethe-Wege e.V., Burgplatz 4, DE-99423 Weimar, Germany, represented by its Board of Directors acting jointly.
For any question about this policy, or to exercise any of the rights set out in section 16, write to info@goetheways.eu (subject line “Data protection”) or to the postal address above.
The association has not appointed a data protection officer. It does not carry out processing of the kind described in Art. 37 (1) GDPR, and fewer than twenty people are permanently occupied with the automated processing of personal data (§ 38 (1) BDSG).
2. General principles
- We collect only the data we need for the purpose described, and keep it only for as long as that purpose or a statutory retention period requires.
- Providing personal data is voluntary. You are under no statutory or contractual obligation to give us data; the only consequence of not doing so is that the function concerned — a reply to your enquiry, the newsletter, the member area — cannot be provided.
- This website is served over TLS (recognisable by
https://and the padlock in your browser), so data you send us cannot be read by third parties in transit. - We do not sell personal data, and we do not use it for advertising or profiling.
3. Hosting and server log files
This website is hosted by ALL-INKL.COM – Neue Medien Münnich, Hauptstraße 68, DE-02742 Friedersdorf, Germany, on servers located in Germany. The host acts solely on our documented instructions as a processor under Art. 28 GDPR.
Each time a page is requested, the server writes a log entry containing the IP address, the date and time of the request, the file requested, the amount of data transferred, the page from which the request came and the browser and operating system in use. This is necessary for the secure and stable operation of the site and for detecting and tracing attacks; the legal basis is Art. 6 (1) f GDPR. Log entries are deleted after seven days and are not merged with any other data.
4. Contact form and email
If you contact us through the contact form or by email, the data you provide (name, email address, subject, message and any further detail you choose to include) is processed solely to handle your enquiry. The legal basis is Art. 6 (1) b GDPR where the enquiry concerns membership or another contractual relationship, and otherwise Art. 6 (1) f GDPR, our legitimate interest in answering people who write to us.
Enquiries are deleted once they have been dealt with and no further questions arise, at the latest after two years, unless commercial or tax retention periods (§ 257 HGB, § 147 AO) require us to keep the correspondence for six or ten years.
5. Newsletter
Newsletter registration uses a double opt-in procedure: you receive a confirmation email and are subscribed only after confirming. The legal basis is your consent (Art. 6 (1) a GDPR, § 7 (2) no. 3 UWG), which you can withdraw at any time via the unsubscribe link in every issue or by emailing us.
The newsletter is operated with software installed on this website itself. Your email address, the date and time of your registration and confirmation, the IP address used to confirm, and the dispatch records are stored in the website’s own database on our web host’s servers. They are not passed to any newsletter provider or other third party, and no tracking pixels are used: we do not record whether you open an issue or click a link in it.
On unsubscribing, your address is removed from the distribution list. The record that consent was given is kept for three years after withdrawal so that we can demonstrate compliance (Art. 5 (2), Art. 7 (1) GDPR) and then deleted.
6. Member area
Login credentials for the protected member area are issued to member organisations. The data processed comprises the user name, an encrypted password, the email address of the contact person, and the date and IP address of the last login. It is used to provide access to internal documents and announcements and to keep the area secure; the legal basis is Art. 6 (1) b GDPR in conjunction with the membership relationship, and Art. 6 (1) f GDPR for the security log.
Accounts are deleted within three months of a member organisation leaving the association.
7. Interactive map
The digital map on the pages “Goethe’s Stops in Europe” and “Home” is the association’s own map. The software and the route and stop data it displays belong to Europäische Goethe-Wege e.V.; it runs on infrastructure at netzkolchose.de, whose operator acts for us as a processor under Art. 28 GDPR and processes data only on our documented instructions. It is not a public third-party embed such as Google Maps.
The map is loaded as soon as the map area is shown on the page. At that moment your IP address and standard browser data reach that server, because they are technically required to deliver the map to your device. The legal basis is Art. 6 (1) f GDPR, our legitimate interest in presenting Goethe’s journeys interactively. The data is used only to deliver the map, is not used for any purpose of the operator’s own, is not combined with other data and is not passed on. Access logs on that server are deleted after seven days.
The illustrated, non-interactive map view is served from this website and transmits nothing to any other server.
8. External links to tourism routes
Under “Tourism Offers” we link to routes hosted on external portals (outdooractive.com, routedegoethe.fr). These are ordinary links: they open in a new tab, no content is embedded, and no data reaches those providers unless and until you follow a link. From that point their own privacy policies apply and we have no influence over the processing carried out there.
9. Social media
The Facebook and LinkedIn icons in the footer are ordinary links, not social plugins. No “Like” button, pixel or embedded feed is used, so no data is sent to those networks while you are on this site. If you follow one of the links, the privacy policy of the network concerned applies to your visit there.
10. Fonts, scripts and images
All fonts, stylesheets, scripts and images used on this website are delivered from our own server. We do not use a third-party content delivery network, and no request is made to Google Fonts or any comparable service, so simply loading a page transmits nothing to a font or script provider.
11. Cookies and consent management
Consent on this website is managed with Complianz, a consent management plugin supplied by Complianz B.V., Kalmarweg 14-5, 9723 JG Groningen, Netherlands. The plugin runs entirely on our own server. It stores your choice in first-party cookies on your own device; no consent data is transmitted to Complianz or to any other third party.
The banner distinguishes the following categories:
- Functional — strictly necessary for the website to work: the member login session and the cookies that remember your consent choice. These are set without consent under § 25 (2) no. 2 TDDDG.
- Preferences — remember settings you have chosen. Set only with your consent.
- Statistics — the web analytics described in section 12. Set only with your consent.
- Marketing — not used on this website. No advertising or cross-site tracking cookie is set under any circumstances.
Until you give consent, no statistics or preference cookie is set and no data is sent to any analytics provider. You can change or withdraw your choice at any time, with effect for the future, under Cookie Settings below; the individual cookies are listed there. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before it, and changes nothing about your use of this website.
12. Web analytics – Google Analytics 4
For statistical analysis of how this website is used we employ Google Analytics 4, integrated by means of the Google Site Kit plugin. The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Analytics is loaded only after you have given your consent through the cookie banner. The legal basis for the storage of and access to information on your device is § 25 (1) TDDDG, and for the subsequent processing of that data Art. 6 (1) a GDPR. Until you consent, no analytics cookie is set and no data is sent to Google.
Where you consent, Google Analytics processes usage data including a shortened IP address, the pages viewed, the time and duration of access, the referring page, an approximate region, and the device and browser type. IP addresses are shortened by Google before storage, so no full IP address is retained. Google acts as our processor under Art. 28 GDPR on the basis of the Google Ads Data Processing Terms. Data may be transferred to Google LLC in the United States; that transfer is based on the European Commission’s standard contractual clauses and on Google LLC’s certification under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework (Art. 45, Art. 46 GDPR).
Google Signals and all advertising features are switched off, user data is retained for fourteen months, and analytics data is not combined with any other data we hold about you.
You may withdraw your consent at any time, with effect for the future, under Cookie Settings. Independently of that, Google offers a browser add-on that prevents Analytics from collecting data at all: tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout (opens in a new tab). Google’s own privacy policy is at policies.google.com/privacy (opens in a new tab).
13. Storage periods at a glance
| Data | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Server log files | 7 days |
| Contact form and email correspondence | Until the enquiry is closed, then up to 2 years; 6 or 10 years where commercial or tax law requires |
| Newsletter address | Until you unsubscribe; record of consent a further 3 years |
| Member area account | Up to 3 months after membership ends |
| Consent cookies (Complianz) | 365 days, or until you change your choice |
| Google Analytics user and event data | 14 months |
14. Recipients of your data
Your data is disclosed only to the following recipients, each of which is bound by a data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR:
- ALL-INKL.COM – Neue Medien Münnich, Germany — web hosting and email.
- The operator of netzkolchose.de — hosting of the association’s interactive map.
- Google Ireland Limited, Ireland — web analytics, and only where you have consented.
Beyond this, we pass personal data to third parties only where we are legally obliged to do so, or where it is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
15. No automated decision-making
We do not use automated decision-making, including profiling, within the meaning of Art. 22 (1) and (4) GDPR.
16. Your rights
You have the right to obtain confirmation and access (Art. 15), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18) and data portability (Art. 20 GDPR). Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time with effect for the future (Art. 7 (3) GDPR), without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out beforehand.
To exercise any of these rights, write to info@goetheways.eu. We will respond within one month; where a request is complex, we may extend that period by up to two further months and will tell you if we do.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR). The authority responsible for the controller’s seat is the Thüringer Landesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit (TLfDI), Häßlerstraße 8, DE-99096 Erfurt. You may equally complain to the authority for your own place of residence or workplace.
Right to object — Art. 21 GDPR
Where we process your data on the basis of our legitimate interests (Art. 6 (1) f GDPR — on this website: server log files, the interactive map, and replies to enquiries), you have the right to object at any time, on grounds relating to your particular situation. If you object, we will stop processing the data concerned unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights and freedoms, or unless the processing serves to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
An objection requires no particular form. Send it to info@goetheways.eu.
17. Changes to this privacy policy
We will update this policy whenever the way we process data changes, or whenever a change in the law requires it. The version and date at the top of this section always show which text is currently in force. Where a change affects processing based on your consent, we will ask for your consent again.
Accessibility Statement
Europäische Goethe-Wege e.V. endeavours to make this website accessible in accordance with the principles of Directive (EU) 2016/2102 and the European standard EN 301 549, applying the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, conformance level AA — on a voluntary basis, as a candidate Cultural Route of the Council of Europe.
Conformance status
This website is fully conformant with WCAG 2.1 level AA, on the basis of
the self-assessment described below. Measures verified during development include: measured
colour-contrast ratios of at least 4.5:1 for text and 3:1 for user-interface components and
graphical objects; full keyboard operability of navigation, filters and the interactive map;
visible focus indicators; a skip link; consistent landmarks and a single main heading per page;
identified input purposes on all personal-data form fields; text alternatives for all
informative images; correct heading, list and table structure; and reduced-motion alternatives
for all animations, honouring the prefers-reduced-motion setting.
Non-accessible content
The following limitations are known to us:
- Interactive map. Panning and zooming a map is inherently visual. The map is fully keyboard-operable and every stop it shows is also available as a structured text list and as a static illustrated view on the same page, so no information is available only through the interactive map.
- Documents under “Related Downloads”. Some PDFs produced before this website was built are not tagged for screen readers. We are converting them as they are revised. If you need one of these documents in an accessible format, ask us and we will supply it.
Feedback and contact
If you encounter barriers on this website, please tell us: info@goetheways.eu. Describe the problem and the page it occurs on, and tell us how you would like us to reply. We aim to respond within two weeks, and to supply any content you cannot reach in an accessible alternative format.
Cookie Settings
A cookie is a small file stored on your device when you visit a website. This site uses cookies sparingly: the ones it cannot work without, and — only if you agree — the ones that let us count visits. We set no advertising or cross-site tracking cookies of any kind.
Change your settings
Your current choice is shown in the consent manager. You can change or withdraw it at any time, with effect for the future. Declining or withdrawing changes nothing about your use of this website.
Strictly necessary cookies
These are required for the website to function and are set without consent under § 25 (2) no. 2 TDDDG. They store no information that identifies you to anyone but us, and are set by this website itself.
| Name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
cmplz_functional, cmplz_preferences,
cmplz_statistics, cmplz_marketing |
Record which categories you have accepted or declined | 365 days |
cmplz_banner-status |
Records that the banner has been dismissed, so it is not shown again | 365 days |
cmplz_policy_id |
Records the version of the cookie statement you agreed to, so we can ask again if it changes | 365 days |
cmplz_consented_services |
Records consent given for individual services rather than whole categories | 365 days |
cmplz_user_data |
Determines which version of the banner to show; held in session storage only | Until the browser is closed |
wordpress_logged_in_*, wp-settings-* |
Keep you signed in to the member area and remember its display settings | Session, or 14 days if you choose “remember me” |
Statistics cookies — only with your consent
These are set only if you accept the “Statistics” category. They are described in full in section 12 of the privacy policy.
| Name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
_ga |
Distinguishes one visitor from another so that visits can be counted | 2 years |
_ga_<container-id> |
Keeps the session state for the Analytics property | 2 years |
Marketing cookies
None. This website sets no advertising, retargeting or cross-site tracking cookie, and the “Marketing” category in the banner is therefore always empty.
External content
The interactive digital map is the association’s own map, hosted for us at netzkolchose.de and loaded as soon as the map area is shown on a page. Section 7 of the privacy policy explains what is transmitted when it loads. All other content, including fonts and scripts, is served from this website itself.
Deleting cookies yourself
Independently of the settings above, you can delete cookies already stored and prevent new ones from being set through your browser settings, usually under Privacy or Security. Blocking the strictly necessary cookies may mean parts of this website no longer work.