1951
Founding of the International Youth Secretariat of the European Movement, aimed at engaging the youth of Europe in building a democratic and peaceful continent. National secretariats are set up in all the democratic states of Western Europe. The head of the German secretariat is Berthold Finkelstein. 1951 is regarded as the founding year of the GSI.
1961
The GSI acquires its own building with conference and accommodation facilities –Haus Lerbach – in Bergisch Gladbach. The facility expands in the following years and becomes known under the name of the “European Academy in Lerbach”, as one of the leading centres for political education in Germany.
1987 bis 2014
Construction of the GSI Conference Centre with hotel facilities in Bonn. The GSI grows into one of the largest institutions for political education the European Conference and Education Centre Bonn) Following the retirement of Berthold Finkelstein, former State Secretary Dr Klaus Dieter Leister is appointed director, and Ursula Meister becomes Managing Director.
2018/2019
Reactivation of the GSI Gustav Stresemann Foundation. The Foundation Board is established in Berlin chaired by Dr Christina Stresemann a judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe and granddaughter of Gustav Stresemann. Members include Martin Schulz, former President of the European Parliament, and Eberhard Diepgen, former Governing Mayor of Berlin.
2019 bis 2025
In 2019, Dr Ansgar Burghof steps down from the GSI. Dr Erik Bettermann is director. In 2020, Wilfried Klein is appointed Managing Director and Head of the GSI. Carsten Dryden becomes Director of Conferences, Hotel and Catering Services.