Background Article "Wherever the Russian settles in Asia, the country immediately becomes Russian." (Dostoevsky) The Russian Empire's conquest of Central Asia began with the capture of the city of Tashkent in 1865. Numerous reasons have been put forward for the gradual but continual expansion that followed, but the term “civilizing mission” stands out in particular. What was the intention behind this conquest in the second half of the 19th century and how did it relate to colonization efforts?
A Breath of Valkyrie on the Baltic Sea. Nationalism and Romanticism in the Literature of East Prussia What do a knight of the Teutonic Order, the Song of the Nibelungs and Hermann the Cheruscan have in common? They were all intended to legitimize the founding of the German Empire in 1871, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. This was a "unification from above" for which Prussia waged...
Introduction Copernicus: A contested European legacy Over the past two centuries, discussions about Copernicus have played a key role in German-Polish relations. The years commemorating the anniversaries of the astronomer’s birth and death crystallized the debates.
Online atlas Danube Places Discover the Danube region with Danube Places, the virtual travel guide of the Danube Swabian Museum! Many towns between the Danube city of Ulm and the Serbian capital of Belgrade have a connection to the migratory movements of the 18th century. This website (www.danube-places.eu) introduces 80...
Museum Danube Swabian Museum Migration has always been an important part of European history and continues to be an issue of great significance today. The Danube Swabians are a German minority in Eastern Europe, whose ancestors emigrated to Hungary in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Danube Swabian Museum in Ulm is not only...
Danube Swabians. Departures and encounters "How happy is the German man, who can speak with Hungarians in their own tongue." An observation from 1805 of something that was essential for the survival of German settlers in Hungary at that time. This permanent exhibition at the Danube Swabian Museum offers a journey of discovery into the...
Documentation center Documentation Center for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation The Documentation Center offers exhibitions, a library and a testimony archive, tours, workshops and events. The Center provides information about the causes, dimensions and consequences of displacement, expulsion and forced migration in the past and present. Particular focus is on the displacement...
Oral history project | Film project Donauschwäbische Zeitzeugen erzählen ("Danube Swabian eyewitnesses tell their stories") Multiethnic coexistence, war and loss are formative experiences that affect a whole generation of people and can have a lasting impact on their children and grandchildren. The four-part film series "Donauschwäbische Zeitzeugen erzählen" ("Danube Swabian eyewitnesses tell their stories") gives...
Object Story Edina's beach bag A blue and white striped bag with white handles - at first glance an inconspicuous beach bag. But it tells the moving story of the then 33-year-old Edina Rizvanović's flight from what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina to Ulm.
Für, mit und gegen Napoleon. Revolution, Reform oder Restauration So sehr die Ära Napoleon ein Stück gesamteuropäische Geschichte ist, so sehr unterscheiden sich die Überlieferungen und Deutungen dieser Zeit in den einzelnen europäischen Staaten. Eine Doppelausstellung befasst sich mit den Ereignissen in Schlesien, den Hintergründen und der Historiographie...
Holding Holdings and collections of the Danube Swabian Museum From a refugee’s suitcase to a popcorn maker, from the jacket of a forced laborer to a perennial Christmas tree: the holdings of the Danube Swabian Museum convey Danube-Swabian culture and history in a multifarious and eclectic way. An unexpected and special feature of the collection is that many...
Holding Holdings and collections of the Documentation Center for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation The scientific library of the Documentation Center for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation includes German and foreign language books, newspapers and magazines as well as digital media on the topic of forced migrations in the 20th and 21st centuries in Europe. In addition to a contemporary...
Background Article Jewish Postcard Publishers and the Imagery of the Urban In numerous cities across eastern Europe, Jewish publishers enjoyed notable success in the newly established postcard market. This article presents a socio-historical background of this topic and asks whether their social positioning influenced the depictions of the urban world they chose to feature on their postcards.
Background Article Lemberg's Coffeehouse Culture Before the First World War The east Galician city of (Lemberg) Lviv had a lively coffeehouse culture during the Habsburg Empire. Poles, Jews and Ukrainians would gather over pots of coffee and tea. As the First World War approached, however, a growing sense of nationalism could also be felt in these otherwise convivial spaces.
Background Article Max Sering and Max Weber The age of imperialism unleashed a new way of thinking about the Prussian Eastern Provinces and their inhabitants in the German Empire, based on colonial patterns. Among other intellectuals, Max Weber also propagated a colonial image of Poles in both culturalist and racist categories.
Journal Nordost-Archiv The "Nordost-Archiv" is published in the form of annual volumes on selected topics.
Of Hutsuls and Lithuanian women This digital exhibition shows historical postcards that partly exoticize, racialize and sexualize groups of people. sexualize, are shown. The aim of the exhibition is to reflect on traditional stereotypes and their historical genesis in mass media. mass media.
Background Article On the Road to the “New Eastern Lands” During the First World War, the German Empire had far-reaching plans for expansion in Eastern Europe. The Baltic states in particular were destined to become a German settlement colony known as the “Neues Ostland” (new eastern lands). With hindsight, some of these plans appear as forerunners of National Socialist conquest policy.
Interview (video) Pandemic and Migration in Eastern Europe Copernico asked: What role have epidemics and pandemics actually played in history, especially in Eastern Europe? How were they combated in the past? What impact did they have on the course of history? What role do they play, for example, in the context of human migration movements?
The "Kafka 2024" festival The start of June 2024 will mark the centenary of Franz Kafka's death. The festival "Kafka 2024" celebrates this anniversary, with numerous events taking place throughout the year and across three countries. An online portal was launched in 2023 to guide visitors through the festival.