05.11.2025

On the IEG Blog for the Institute’s 75th Anniversary: An Interview with Nicole Reinhardt and Johannes Paulmann

To mark the 75th anniversary of the Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG), the IEG Blog has published a three-part interview with the Institute’s directors, Nicole Reinhardt and Johannes Paulmann. In the conversation, they discuss the IEG’s history, its present, and the challenges ahead.

In the first part, “In den 1950er Jahren war Europa eine Vision, heute ist es eine komplexe Realität,” they look back at the Institute’s beginnings. The second part, “Durch das Stipendienprogramm entsteht ein dauerndes Fortbildungsprogramm für das Institut,” focuses on current and future challenges. The third part, “Geschichte lehrt uns eine gewisse Bescheidenheit über das, was Menschen können und nicht können,” takes a more personal turn, as they share their own experiences and perspectives.

The interview was conducted by Manfred Sing.

The Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG) in Mainz will celebrate its 75th anniversary on November 6 with a ceremonial event at the Staatstheater Mainz, attended by numerous guests from academia, politics, and society.

Prime Minister Alexander Schweitzer will deliver the welcoming address.

The internationally renowned historian Sir Christopher Clark, Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge, will give the keynote lecture, titled:
“1848 im Rückspiegel – Resonanzen einer europäischen Revolution.”

The IEG’s directors, Prof. Dr. Nicole Reinhardt and Prof. Dr. Johannes Paulmann, will join Prof. Dr. Katharina Stornig, a former research associate at the IEG and now Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Vienna, for a discussion on the Institute’s history, development, and future:
“Das IEG – gestern, heute, morgen.”