Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO)

The Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO) is one of the world’s leading research and educational institutions for the study of the history and culture of Central and Eastern Europe. Our wide-ranging, interdisciplinary approach and broad historical scope are distinctive: from antiquity to the present day, we explore the unique features and transformations of this historically and geopolitically significant region. The GWZO’s research focuses on some of the most urgent issues of our time: the dynamics of globalisation and migration; knowledge systems and competing historical narratives; and environmental challenges and violence.

Researchers at the GWZO conduct foundational research within four permanent departments and a number of rotating junior research groups. While our core expertise lies in Central and Eastern Europe, our work also extends to adjacent regions – from the Balkans and the Caucasus to Northern Europe. The GWZO’s research is marked by a commitment to global perspectives and critical reflection on regional concepts. Across Central and Eastern Europe and beyond, we maintain a dense network of long-standing academic partnerships.

For more than 30 years, we have been presenting our research findings at national and international levels. In addition to academic publications and exhibitions, we develop digital formats to share our research with both specialist audiences and the general public. In so doing, we make history – and the way it is narrated – accessible and relevant, helping to make sense of Central and Eastern Europe in light of both its cultural diversity and the global challenges it faces, past and present.

Leipzig Declaration

»Leipzig as a scientific centre takes a stance against anti-democracy and right-wing extremism: For academic freedom, human rights and democracy«
The academic institutions in the region of Leipzig, including the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO), are taking a firm stand against attacks on our democracy. Respect for the dignity of all people, the free and democratic basic order, plurality, tolerance, international exchange and diversity are prerequisites for our coexistence on campus, for successful research and the best study conditions.

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GWZO Podcast Forschungsquartett: Citizen Science and Pavement Hi/Stories

In the latest episode of the »Forschungsquartett« podcast by detektor.fm, our colleague Stephanie Weismann discusses the participatory approach of citizen science and the »wisdom of the crowd« as a gateway to urban history. The focus is on her project »Leipzig Pavement Hi/Stories« which examines paving stones and road surfaces as evidence of urban transformation and opens up new perspectives on urban history. In doing so, the project exemplifies how research at the GWZO can emerge and develop in dialogue with society. Members of the public are invited to contribute their own experiences and thus become part of a growing archive.

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New GWZO Department in Prague: Board of Trustees Meets on Site for the First Time

To mark the establishment of the new »Knowledge and Participation« department in September 2025, the GWZO's Board of Trustees met in Prague for the first time at the end of June. The members got to know the team led by department head Dr. Michal Frankl, toured the premises and explored the city on a guided historical tour.
A key element of the new location is the close collaboration with the Czech Academy of Sciences. We would like to extend our warmest thanks to the Academic Council and the Institute of Czech Literature for their hospitality and invaluable support in setting up the branch. The meeting also provided an opportunity to bid farewell to Professor Peter Haslinger, Director of the Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe – Institute of the Leibniz Association, as he stepped down from our Board of Trustees after 19 years of service. We would like to thank him warmly for his valuable contributions and for his significant support for the development of the GWZO.
Leipzig Pavement Hi/Stories – Join In!

A city’s pavement is more than just the ground beneath our feet – it embodies history, but also many personal stories. With the participatory project »Leipzig Pavement«, led by Dr Stephanie Weismann, the GWZO invites all Leipzig residents to share their memories and experiences relating to road surfaces, pavements and ways of walking in the city. The submitted contributions will form a digital archive on Leipzig’s pavement history as part of the city’s history.

Further Information
Award for Ella Rossman

Our colleague Dr Ella Rossman has been awarded the 2025 Arts and Humanities Quirk PhD Prize by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at University College London (UCL). The prize recognises outstanding doctoral research. Ella Rossman completed her PhD at UCL’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES) in 2025. She is currently working at the GWZO on the project »Feminist Alternatives«. Her research explores alternative forms of feminist knowledge production and their significance for the intellectual and social history of the late Soviet and post-Soviet world.
Panel Discussion: Resilient Alliances in Science and Society

As part of the »Women in Science – Alliances for Change« day of action, a panel discussion entitled »And now? How do we forge alliances that can withstand headwinds?« took place at the Paulinum of Leipzig University. The occasion was the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The panel featured Eva Inés Obergfell, Rector of Leipzig University, Jean-Alexander Müller, Rector of HTWK Leipzig, and our Deputy GWZO Director, Professor Julia Herzberg. The discussion focused on institutional cooperation and the structural conditions required to build for long-term, effective alliances between academia, institutions and society. A recording of the panel discussion is available here:

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GWZO in the »Citizen Science« Dossier

In the new »Citizen Science« dossier from zeitgeschichte|online, articles explore the potential and limitations of participatory research under the guiding theme of »Contributing to Society«. The GWZO is represented with two articles: Maren Röger analyses citizen participation at the intersection of science and politics, using the example of ›flight and displacement‹. Sabine Stach, Dorothee Riese and Harald Engler use the writing project »Write your way through the nineties!« to illustrate the potential and challenges of citizen science. This topic is a key research focus for the GWZO, particularly within the »Knowledge and Participation« department in Prague.

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© WikiCommons
New publication: »Russia’s War on Ukraine and the Crisis of World Order«

With this volume, the GWZO launches the new English-language series GWZO Studies on Central and Eastern Europe: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Culture, History, and the Environment. Co-edited by Dr Katja Castryck-Naumann, the reader addresses Russia’s war on Ukraine, which has been closely watched and widely debated worldwide, with discussions extending beyond the war itself to its implications for the global order and the future of globalisation. It documents these debates by bringing together articles from across the world, published between Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Donald Trump’s election victory in 2024. The volume offers nuanced insights into the region within the broader context of global (dis)entanglements.

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New publication: »Stilarchitektur?«

In his doctoral thesis »Stilarchitektur? Transfer kunsthistorischen Wissens in der ungarischen Architekturlehre (1864-1914)«, Gáspár Salamon examines architectural education at the Joseph Technical University of Budapest. He demonstrates how concepts from nineteenth-century German-language art history influenced the stylistic outlook and architectural practice of a generation. Based on lecture manuscripts, the book traces this transfer of knowledge and sheds light on its impact on building practice in Hungary during this period. Salamon was a research fellow at the GWZO from 2019 to 2023 and has been a visiting scholar at the Institute on several occasions.

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New Publication: »From Donbas to ›Novorossiya‹«

From Donbas to ›Novorossiya‹: The Russo-Ukrainian conflict over south-east Ukraine by our colleague Alexandr Osipian analyses the social and cultural preconditions of the conflict in the Donbas since 2014 as well as the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine since 2022. He shows how economic decline after 1991, deindustrialisation and social insecurity were politically instrumentalised by local elites. Historical myths and anxieties were used to manipulate the electorate and were later employed as propaganda by pro-Russian separatists. The book is published by Leipzig University Press.

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Exhibition: »Was ist eigentlich Dissidenz?«

The exhibition explores protest movements and forms of resistance in Central and Eastern Europe from the 1960s to the 1980s, asking which of these experiences and attitudes continue to challenge and inspire us today. It combines a travelling roll-up exhibition with a digital format and invites visitors to share their own thoughts, memories and experiences. The exhibition is a collaboration between the Leibniz Institut for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO) and the Leibniz Centre for Literary and Cultural Research (ZfL) in Berlin, funded by the Leibniz Lab »Disruptions and Transformations«.

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Online exhibition »Destroyed Ukrainian Heritage«

Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Ukraine's cultural heritage has also suffered immense losses. Kyiv architectural historian Dr. Semen Shyrochyn, in collaboration with the GWZO, has curated the English-language online exhibition »Destroyed Ukrainian Heritage. Ukraine's Built Heritage since February 24, 2022. A Record of Destruction«. It uses 40 selected examples from across Ukraine to show the extent and scope of the systematic destruction of Ukraine's built heritage. A podcast with further detailed information can be found here. An analogue roll-up version of the exhibition has been touring public venues for several months. If you are interested, you can find out more here. It is currently on display at Isny Town Library.

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Our thoughts are with our Ukrainian friends and colleagues. On the orders of President Putin, on 24 February 2022, the Russian military launched an attack on a country at the heart of Europe – a nation with which we maintain diverse academic collaborations and where friends, colleagues and family members of our employees reside. As human beings, we are deeply concerned; as scholars, we are alarmed that massive historical distortions are being used as a pretext for an unlawful invasion. We appeal to the German public to listen to experts rather than historical fabrications when seeking to understand Central and Eastern Europe. We stand with the people of Ukraine in hoping for an end to the aggression, pay tribute to their courage and dedication and acknowledge the many individuals in Russia and Belarus who openly express criticism despite the risks they face.

Information and Expertise