Anti-Universalismus: Das NS-Völkerrecht als Herausforderung für die Rechtseinheit der internationalen Ordnung
Keynote speech by Miloš Vec
Monday, 13 October 2025 | 18.00 | Geomuseum Münster
On 13 October 2025, the Käte Hamburger Kolleg ‘Legal Unity and Pluralism’ marked the start of its second funding phase (2025–2029). At an event held at the University of Münster's Geomuseum, fellows and alumni, colleagues from the faculties, partners and friends, along with an interested audience, came together to celebrate what has been achieved and what lies ahead.
The keynote speech was given by legal historian Prof. Dr. Miloš Vec from the University of Vienna. He shed light on the development of German international law scholarship since the 19th century, which became politicised and radicalised in the 1930s. Discredited by its proximity to Nazi foreign policy and warfare, attempts were made in West Germany after 1945 to establish an apolitical international law, while in the GDR ideologisation continued under different circumstances.
Gesellschaftliche Pluralität und rechtliche Vielfalt in Ostmitteleuropa: Perspektiven zurück und nach vorn
Public Panel Discussion
Thursday, 5 June 2025 | 18.30 | Studiobühne Münster
On 5 June 2025, the Käte Hamburger Kolleg ‘Legal Unity and Pluralism’ hosted a panel discussion with the aim of connecting the centuries-old history of East Central Europe with its present and future. The discussion was moderated by EViR Director Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ludwig under the heading ‘Social diversity and legal plurality in East-Central Europe: looking back and forward’. She emphasised the need for new perspectives on the history of Europe. East Central Europe as a ‘melting pot’ with a long tradition of many social and religious groups living together offers an exciting basis.
Early modern historian PD Dr. Iryna Klymenko (Lviv) reminded the audience that concepts such as diversity and tolerance only emerged in the modern era and that new models were needed for the pre-modern era. She pointed out the ethnic, religious and legal diversity in cities such as Lviv. However, groups such as Poles, Ukrainians, Armenians or Jews were by no means equal in legal terms: ‘Inequality was created through law.’
Theologian Prof. Dr. Regina Elsner (Münster) shed light on the religious plurality of East Central Europe as a contact zone between Byzantine and Latin Christianity. Local religious identities were always formed here in contrast to others. Coexistence was also characterised by repression imposed by the ruling denomination.
The Slavicist Prof. Dr. Irina Wutsdorff (Münster) addressed the literary dimension, focusing on Bohemia and the re-Catholicisation after the Battle of White Mountain in 1620. She and Elsner discussed the role of language and denomination as markers of identity, particularly in connection with the rule of the Russian and Habsburg empires.
The experts agreed that historical depth is also essential for current debates. Wutsdorff pointed out that Ukrainian society is currently developing a more inclusive concept of nation that embraces different groups. Elsner called for the diversity of history to be taken seriously to counter manipulations and simplifications such as Moscow's imperial claims. Klymenko appealed to critically revisit the German culture of remembrance, which for too long had been blinded to the diversity of East-Central Europe by focussing on Russia. At the end of a stimulating and informative discussion, the aim of linking the history of the region with its present and future was certainly achieved.
Der Bauernkrieg von 1525 – Revolution des Gemeinen Mannes oder wilde Handlung?
Public diskussion with Gerd Schwerhoff
Thursday, 16 January 2025 | 19.00 | Stadtbücherei Münster
The public discussion ‘The Peasants’ War of 1525 - Revolution of the Common Man or wild Act?’ was organised by the Käte Hamburger Kolleg “Legal Unity and Pluralism” (EViR) on 16 January 2025 in the Stadtbücherei Münster.
In 1525, the peasants in the Holy Roman Empire rose up and protested against compulsory labour and high taxes. Research has interpreted the Peasants' War as an expression of a German striving for unity or as a “revolution of the common man”. In his new account, Gerd Schwerhoff contradicts such interpretations and describes how contemporaries themselves perceived the events.
In conversation with Ulrike Ludwig, he reports on the diverse roots and the turbulent course of the Peasants' War. They talk about the demands and goals of this mass movement, its opponents and supporters, the role of the law and ritualised violence.
Prof Dr Gerd Schwerhoffis Senior Professor for Early Modern History at the Univeresity of Dresden.
Prof Dr Ulrike Ludwig is Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Münster and Director of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg „Legal Unity and Pluralism“.
Monday, 21 October 2024 | 18.00 | Stadtmuseum Münster
The public discussion "Orte des Rechts in Münster - früher und heute" (places of law in Münster - past and present) was organised by the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Legal Unity and Pluralism" (EViR) on 21 October 2024 at the Stadtmuseum Münster. To mark the launch of the interactive map www.orte-des-rechts.de, we discussed where law is visibly reflected in Münster's urban space, what traces of over 1000 years of legal history can still be discovered today and why cartographic representations are helpful in this regard. Participants: Dr. Angelika Lampen (Institut für vergleichende Städtegeschichte), Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ludwig (EViR) Prof. Dr. Peter Oestmann (EViR), Dr. Bernd Thier (Stadtmuseum Münster)
Dialog an Deck: „Stadtluft macht frei“ – Freiheitskonzepte im mittelalterlichen und frühneuzeitlichen Münster
Friday, 19 July 2024 | 18.30 | MS Wissenschaft in the Münster City Harbour
“City air makes you free” is a well-known legal saying - but what exactly does it mean? It presupposes that, unlike today, not everyone was free, but that there were unfree or semi-free people. What freedom could the city of the Middle Ages and early modern times offer and who benefited from it? Ulrike Ludwig and Peter Worm take the audience on an exciting search for clues through Münster. In pre-modern times, freedom was often used in the plural: Certain individuals or social groups held “freedoms” that exempted them from paying taxes, for example. There were also temporary freedoms such as the freedom of the market during the Send, which is still indicated today by the famous Send sword on the town hall. Finally, we encounter freedoms in the city as special legal areas, such as the freedom of the cathedral or a monastery. The street Sankt-Mauritz-Freiheit is a reminder of this to this day.
Prof Dr Ulrike Ludwig is Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Münster and Director of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg „Legal Unity and Pluralism“.
Dr Peter Worm is an archivist and historian and has been head of the Münster City Archive since 2019.
Auf dem Flickenteppich bleiben? Was der deutsche Föderalismus leistet – und wo seine Grenzen liegen
Public panel discussion
Monday, 29 April 2024 | 18.00 | Theatertreff Münster
The panel discussion “Auf dem Flickenteppich bleiben? Was der deutsche Föderalismus leistet – und wo seine Grenzen liegen" (Staying on the patchwork quilt? What German federalism achieves - and where its limits lie) was organised by the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Legal Unity and Pluralism" (EViR) on 29 April 2024 at the Theatertreff Münster. The debate about the pros and cons of German federalism is almost as old as federalism itself. Invoked by some as a guarantor of democracy and diversity, it is seen by others as an obstacle to effective politics and the cause of the infamous patchwork quilt. Most recently, he came under massive criticism during the coronavirus pandemic. But he also has a difficult time in other policy areas, such as the much-maligned education policy, which in Germany is the responsibility of the federal states. A stumbling block, a patchwork quilt, small states - is federalism really as bad as its reputation? Where do its historical roots lie, what does it achieve and where does it reach its limits? How is federalism talked about in the media and does this image correspond to reality? This was discussed by: Dr. Stefan Nacke (CDU Member of Parliament), Prof. Dr. Peter Oestmann (EViR), Prof. Dr. Jürgen Overhoff (University of Münster), Dr. Antonios Souris (Free University of Berlin) Moderated by: Gigi Deppe (Head of the ARD Legal Department Radio)
Wie sicher ist der Frieden? Der Westfälische Friede als völkerrechtlicher Vertrag
Public panel discussion
Thursday, 22 June 2023 | 18.00 | LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur
The panel discussion "Wie sicher ist der Frieden? Der Westfälische Friede als völkerrechtlicher Vertrag" (How secure is the peace? The Peace of Westphalia as a treaty under international law) was organised by the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Legal Unity and Pluralism" (EViR) and the Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics" at the University of Münster on 22 June 2023 at the LWL Museum of Art and Culture in Münster. As part of the city's anniversary year for the “375 Years of the Peace of Westphalia”, researchers from the fields of history and law discussed the important peace treaty and its consequences for the Holy Roman Empire and for Europe. The discussion explored the question of how it was possible at the time to overcome the massive loss of trust on the part of all warring parties and reach an agreement, which legal instruments were used to bring about a lasting peace solution and whether lessons can be learned for the present day. Discussants: Prof. Dr. Claire Gantet (Université de Fribourg), Prof. Dr. Christian Hillgruber (University of Bonn), Prof. Dr. Christoph Kampmann (University of Marburg), Prof. Dr. Peter Oestmann (University of Münster), Moderation: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ludwig (University of Münster)
EViR Summer School "Gesellschaftliche Diversität und Recht im Alten Reich 1500-1800"
Video about the first EViR Summer School, which took place from 24 to 28 July 2023 at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg under the motto of social diversity and law in the Holy Roman Empire 1500-1800. In the video, participants of the Summer School and the organiser Dr Benjamin Seebröker give their views.
Ulrike Ludwig and Peter Oestmann on research at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "Legal Unity and Pluralism"
Interview with the directors of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg EViR, historian Prof Dr Ulrike Ludwig and legal historian Prof Dr Peter Oestmann. In the interview, they explain how legal plurality and unity are researched at the Kolleg and why this is important.
