Homepage

The Russian attack on the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv on 28 September 2026 once again highlights how the war against Ukraine specifically targets places of free knowledge and international cooperation. The GWZO endorses the clear stance taken by Leibniz President Christoph M. Schmidt and the Leibniz Association and condemns this attack in the strongest possible terms.

We continue our joint work in close solidarity with our Ukrainian project partners and colleagues. The protection of academic freedom and cohesion in Europe forms the foundation of our research.

With our new digital online exhibition, »Ukraine’s Built Heritage under Attack«, we are striving to raise public awareness of the extent of the destruction of cultural and educational buildings in Ukraine.

»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.

The historic ruined city of Ani is the focus of a new documentary series by the Gerda Henkel Foundation: »Ani – Armeniens verlorene Hauptstadt«. Once known as the »City of 1001 Churches« and a centre of prosperity in the Bagratid Kingdom, this UNESCO World Heritage Site now serves as a defining point of reference for the Armenian sense of identity. The research project is led by Bálint Kovács and Elke Shoghig Hartmann (FU Berlin); contributors include Ani expert and GWZO literary scholar Karen Jallatyan. At the GWZO, Armenian Studies builds on many years of expertise. This work is set within the framework of the junior research group »Global Armenia/ns«, founded in 2026 (led by Bálint Kovács and Katja Castryck-Naumann), which is currently hosting several doctoral projects.

Under the supervision of our GWZO colleague Susanne Jaeger and Peter Leonhardt (Office for Building Regulations and Heritage Conservation), students from Leipzig University have curated a new special exhibition. Running from 1 October to 31 December 2026 at the Alte Nikolaischule in Leipzig, the exhibition is dedicated to Hubert Ritter (1886–1967). It focuses on Ritter’s work in Leipzig between 1924 and 1930. During this period, he served as head of the Municipal Building Authority and became a pioneer of Modernism through projects such as the »Rundling« housing estate and the »Großmarkthalle«. The opening will take place on Thursday, 1 October 2026, at 7 pm.

Our GWZO colleague Marcin Wołoszyn has been awarded the prestigious Belvedere Professorship. Considered Poland's highest academic title, it is conferred by the President of the Republic of Poland upon recommendation of the Council of Scientific Excellence (Rada Doskonałości Naukowej). This distinction honors Marcin Wołoszyn’s outstanding scholarly achievements. At the GWZO, his research focuses on the history of medieval East Central Europe, particularly the relations between Polish and Ruthenian lands, as well as medieval settlements and archaeological sites. The official presentation ceremony will take place in December at the Belweder Palace in Warsaw.

In the latest episode of the »Forschungsquartett« podcast by detektor.fm, our GWZO colleague Martin Bauch discusses the connection between a volcanic eruption and the plague in the 14th century. For a long time, the prevailing theory was that the plague had reached Europe as a biological weapon. Recent interdisciplinary research presents a different perspective: to avert climate-induced famine, Italian city-states organised grain imports from the Black Sea region. However, the plague pathogen inadvertently travelled aboard the ships. In the interview, Martin Bauch explains how tree rings and ice cores provide evidence of this cold snap and why interdisciplinary research is indispensable for understanding historical crises.

Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 the GWZO has been documenting the ongoing destruction of Ukraine’s architectural heritage. Whilst the exhibition »Destroyed Ukrainian Heritage«, which opened in 2025, highlights the widespread scale of the losses through 40 examples, the exhibition »Ukraine’s Built Heritage under Attack. Places of Culture and Learning« focuses specifically on cultural and educational institutions as public spaces for communal life. Both projects were curated by Dr. Semen Shyrochyn and funded by the Leibniz Research Alliance »Value of the Past«.
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. From October 2026, the roll-ups will be on display at the Markdorf Library (Lake Constance), amongst other venues.

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.

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«.