The mission of the Goethe-Institut is to “promote the study of German abroad and encourage international cultural exchange,” as well as “foster knowledge about Germany by providing information on its culture, society and politics.” There are events, exchange programs, classes, and more.

In New York, the institute’s offices have a combination SoHo-and-German chic to them. On the premises you will find a rare thing in the United States: a German-language lending library.

You—meaning anyone—can hang out, browse through German newspapers and magazines, watch videos, read the roughly 7,000 books they have should you be so inclined, and do other library-like things. If you pay $10 for the year (for the whole year, people!), you can even check things out. 

I love this place. It is sleek and cool, and full of great German resources at no charge to you.

It is an underused treasure.

Visit.

There are in fact nearly 140 Goethe-Instituts around the world, including ones in Afghanistan, India, China, Chile, and other countries where you might not automatically expect to stumble across a German cultural organization.