Welcome

The German Shakespeare Foundation was established in 2000 in Weimar. Its founding body was the reunified German Shakespeare Society (Deutsche Shakespeare-Gesellschaft e.V.). This society was originally founded in 1864 at the initiative of the Dessau entrepreneur Wilhelm Ochelhäuser under the patronage of Grand Duchess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, making it the oldest and one of the largest literary societies in Germany. For nearly 150 years, it has promoted engagement with the works of William Shakespeare throughout the German-speaking world, working closely with universities, schools, and theatres.

The German Shakespeare Foundation supports the work of the German Shakespeare Society by providing funding for its larger projects. For example, it annually awards the Martin Lehnert Prize for outstanding theses by students and doctoral candidates, made possible through a bequest from the Berlin-based Anglicist Martin Lehnert.

The foundation supports the Shakespeare Yearbook, which the Shakespeare Society has published almost continuously every year since its founding, making it an outstanding cultural-historical record of Shakespeare reception and scholarship over the past 150 years. Since 2022, it has also honoured individuals from the fields of art and culture with the Shakespeare Prize, recognising those who have made exceptional contributions to the work of William Shakespeare and its dissemination.

To provide the many visitors to the annual Shakespeare Days with special highlights in the form of theatrical, musical, literary, or cinematic events, the German Shakespeare Foundation also subsidises these gatherings of German-speaking Shakespeare enthusiasts.