Documents and Materials relating to East Central Europe

Digital sources relating to the history of East Central Europe in open access. The online edition of "Documents and Materials on the History of East Central Europe" of the Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe presents materials and sources on selected topics related to the history of East Central Europe in digital form.
With approximately thirty individual modules to date, central themes and events in the history of the Baltic States, 
Poland
deu. Polen, eng. Republic of Poland, pol. Polska, lit. Lenkijos Respublika, bel. Polʹŝa, bel. Polʹšča, bel. Польшча, . Pòlskô, yid. republyq pyn pojln, yid. republyk pyn pojln, yid. rʿpublyq pyn pojln, yid. pojln, yid. רעפובליק פון פוילן, yid. polin, yid. פוילן

Poland is located on the Baltic Sea and is the largest state (population in 2023: 37,636,508, area: 313,964 km²) in East Central Europe. The name of the state is derived from the West Slavic Polans, who brought more and more territories under their rule from the 9th century onwards, which were known as Duchy of Poland in the 10th century. Under Mieszko (ca. 960-992), the extent of the country reached approximately its current borders. He was at times subject to tribute to the German Emperor, at least for parts of his land. Poland probably adopted Christianity in 966 and from 1025 it was a kingdom. Between 1138 and 1295, the country was fragmented as a result of inheritance disputes. The extinction of the ruling Piast dynasty led to a Polish-Hungarian personal union in 1370, which was replaced by a Polish-Lithuanian dual monarchy as early as 1386 due to pressure from the Polish nobility. The growing role of the nobility resulted in an elective monarchy in 1572. However, the disunity of the nobility led to the three partitions of Poland (1772-1795) between Prussia, Russia and the Habsburg Monarchy. Poland only became independent after the end of the First World War in 1918 and lost its independence in 1939 after the German attack from the west at the beginning of the Second World War and the Russian invasion from the east. From 1945-1989 it was a satellite state of the Soviet Union. Poland has been a member of the European Union since 2004.

Ukraine
ukr. Ukrajina, deu. Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. Kiev is the capital and largest city of the country, which has been independent since 1991. Since 2022, the country has been defending itself against a comprehensive Russian invasion, which is directed in particular against the civilian population and the country's critical infrastructure and is part of a war against Ukraine that has been ongoing since 2014 and originated from the Russian Federation with the annexation of the Ukrainian Crimea in 2014.

, the 
Czechia
ces. Česko, deu. Tschechien

The Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe with a population of about 10.5 million people. The capital and largest city of the country is Prague. In the Czech Republic lie the historical landscapes of Bohemia, Moravia and parts of Silesia. In 1918 the state of Czechoslovakia was formed, but the Czech Republic was not founded until 1993. The country has been a member of the EU since 01.05.2004.

 and 
Slovakia
slk. Slovensko, deu. Slowakei

Slovakia is a country in Central Europe, which is lived in by about 5.5 million people. The capital of the country is Bratislava (Pressburg). Slovakia has been independent since 1993.

 are made accessible with the help of an extensive selection of representative sources. These include important texts and documents in transcription and facsimile as well as translations, maps, image sources and statistical material. The sources are supplemented and classified with the help of well-founded introductions, selective bibliographies and chronological overviews and aids. Numerous topics from the Middle Ages to the late 20th century are covered. Many sources are presented here for the first time in German translation – together with their original language version. The entire edition is bilingual.
The thematic modules are written and reviewed by historians who are recognized experts in their fields; in selecting sources, aspects of religion and everyday life have been taken into consideration in addition to generic historical and political topics. This standardized and structured Open Access service is primarily geared towards academic teaching, but is also accessible to anyone (scholars, journalists, etc.) who are interested in the topics.