American Space Leipzig is an initiative between the University of Leipzig and the U.S. Government to encourage learning, exchange, and dialogue between the United States and Germany. The first center of its type in Central Germany, it offers a public platform for dialog and exchange between the USA and Germany on a local level. Its mission consists of five goals:
Create programs that bring together diverse groups to discuss and to learn about a wide variety of themes involving politics, culture, and contemporary affairs;
- Provide new and innovative research resources, learning materials, and study-spaces in the Leipzig University Library (West Wing). These include data-bases, the latest scholarship from leading presses, computer work-stations, and a dedicated reading area;
- Initiate continuous education programs for teachers and other professional communities, along with programs for improving American-English language skills;
- Offer materials and advising about education and internship opportunities in the United States; and
- Organize events and forums for German-American alumni organizations.
In keeping with its mission, the center offers a calendar full of speakers and topics of interest to everyone. American Space Leipzig opened on December 3, 2013, at the University of Leipzig, Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum, Room 3.504, Beethovenstraße 15, 04107 Leipzig. In addition to Leipzig, there are nine additional American Spaces in Germany at various institution: the German-American Institute Freiburg, the Amerikazentrum Hamburg, e.V., the German-American Institute Heidelberg, the Kennedy Infozentrum Kiel, the Bavarian Center for Transatlantic Relations, the German-American Institute Nuernberg, the German-American Institute Saarbruecken, the Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum James-F.-Byrnes, e.V. in Stuttgart, and the German-American Institute Tuebingen. There are over 800 American Space centers in 170 countries.