Online encyclopaedia on the culture and history of the Germans in Eastern Europe
Online encyclopaedia on the culture and history of the Germans in Eastern Europe
The culture and history of Germans in Eastern Europe as a research topic
The need and demand for scientifically sound and reliable information on the culture and history of Germans in Eastern Europe have increased significantly in recent years, both amongst the general public and within the academic community.
This online encyclopaedia is intended to meet this need for information and to serve as a reference work that provides reliable data, critically examines traditional approaches to historiography, and refers readers to current academic research and specialist discourses. The articles are written by academics from Germany and abroad. The online format allows for continuous updating and can contribute to international exchange amongst experts and with interested users.
The encyclopaedia covers historical regions such as Silesia, Pomerania, West and East Prussia, Transylvania and the Banat, as well as the Bohemian lands and the German settlement areas in the Baltic states and Russia. It is precisely these regions that offer opportunities for the development of a European-oriented cultural identity, as they are characterised by a multi-layered cultural heritage created by different peoples who lived together here over the centuries. Languages, cultures and religious denominations came together in these regions. Research into their interactions is of particular significance and plays a key mediating role.
Project organisation and co-operations
The project was launched in March 2011 and is under the academic supervision of Prof. Dr Sabine Doering (Institute for German Studies at the University of Oldenburg) and Prof. Dr Matthias Weber (Federal Institute for Culture and History of the Germans in Eastern Europe, Oldenburg). The project is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media on the basis of Section 96 of the Federal Funding Act (BVFG).
Numerous partner institutions and academics from Germany and abroad are involved in the development of the online encyclopaedia, which is to be presented in collaboration with the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bonn). The Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe – a Leibniz Association institute (Marburg), the German Cultural Forum for Eastern Europe (Potsdam) and the Institute for the Folklore of Germans in Eastern Europe (IVDE, Freiburg) are supporting the project, in particular by providing illustrations.
