100 Jahre Forschung über Ost- und Westpreußen

The Historical Commission for Research into East and West Prussia was established in 1923 as an amalgamation of eleven associations and societies dedicated to regional history. Its 100-year history is characterised by periods of disruption as well as by continuity in terms of personnel and institutional structure. Founded in the specific context following the First World War, at a time characterised by the ‘struggle for national identity’ and ‘Eastern research’, its work focused on the politically distinct regions of East and West Prussia. Following the Second World War, the field of research was divided between Polish and Russian territories; however, cooperation with Polish and Lithuanian researchers and academic institutions has developed only slowly, and has been ongoing for the past 50 years, albeit to varying degrees and with different areas of focus. This volume brings together the papers from the conference marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Historical Commission for East and West Prussian Regional Research, which took place in Berlin in May 2023 and was dedicated to selected aspects of the Commission’s history. This volume brings together articles on the history of research and the development of the Historical Commission, on the Chair of Medieval Studies at Albertus University in Königsberg, and on Polish research into West Prussia. Another key focus is on current fields of research, such as early modern travel accounts of Prussia, the University of Königsberg, Prussian Lithuania, Marion Gräfin Dönhoff, East Prussian family cemeteries and historical film footage. The volume concludes with an edition of sources and materials relating to the Commission’s history. In addition to looking back on the 100-year history of an academic institution, the volume also presents research perspectives on the historical regions and provinces of East and West Prussia.