Postdoctoral Fellowship for East-Central European Researchers in Gotha, Halle and Wolfenbüttel (3 months)

The Gotha Research Centre of the University of Erfurt, the Francke Foundations in Halle and the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel can again award a three-month scholarship for 2025 to an excellent postdoctoral researcher from the East Central European region to research their holdings. The international scholarship programme is open to all historically oriented disciplines. It supports projects geared towards researching the holdings of all three institutions, linking them and relating them to each other. A central requirement of this programme is that the library holdings are essential to the proposed research project.

The Gotha locations of the University of Erfurt with the universally oriented collections of the former ducal house of Saxony-Gotha-Altenburg, especially in the Gotha Research Library, the Francke Foundations in Halle with the Historical Library and the famous Cabinet of Artefacts and Natural Curiosities from 1736/41, as well as the Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel as the most important library in Germany with holdings concerning the medieval and early modern period, are among the outstanding collections and research institutions for the cultural history of European early modern times (temporal focus before 1800). Their holdings are also often thematically complementary to each other. Research questions can therefore be equally addressed to the holdings of all three locations; at the same time, projects can benefit considerably from the simultaneous use of the holdings of all three institutions. Aim of this programme is to advance research that pertains to these links.

The scholarship is 2,000 euros per month. In addition, there is a family allowance of 400 euros per month, if applicable. The host institutions will assist in arranging childcare.

Residence in at least one of the three locations is compulsory for the entire period. Stays of at least two weeks must be completed at all three institutions. A travel allowance of 500 euros is granted.

The scholarship programme is funded by the Dorothee Wilms Foundation in the Stifterverband: https://www.deutsches-stiftungszentrum.de/stiftungen/dorothee-wilms-stiftung. A continuation of the programme is planned.

Cooperation partner:

Gotha Research Library: https://www.uni-erfurt.de/forschungsbibliothek-gotha

Francke Foundations in Halle: https://www.francke-halle.de/de/

Duke August Library Wolfenbüttel: https://www.hab.de/