Institute for the History of the Diocese of Münster

The Institute for the History of the Diocese of Münster was founded in 2004 as a cooperation project between the Diocese and the University of Münster. The aim was to make the history of the local Church of the Westphalian Münsterland accessible and present it in teaching. The Institute was also the point of contact for associations and institutions of the diocese. One focus of its work was the reconstruction of stocks of files that had been lost in the Second World War. The book series "Junges Forum Geschichte" (Young History Forum) focused on the first works of young authors on the history of the diocese. In further projects the archival documents relating to the "Visitatur Ermland" were recorded, the "Westfälisches Klosterbuch" was continued and the history of the "Wandering Church" during the time of National Socialism was examined. In addition, the Institute contributed to the exhibition "Frieden. Von der Antike bis heute" (Peace. From Antiquity to the Present Day) with a third-party funded project. In Münster, the section "Frieden. Wie im Himmel so auf Erden?" (Peace. As in heaven, so on earth?) dealt with Christian ideas of peace and the connection with Judaism and Islam. The project team consisted of the curator Dr Thomas Fusenig, the curator Viktoria Weinebeck, Elisabeth Lange and Katrin Toelle. In 2020, the Research Centre for the History of the Diocese of Münster, which is in the tradition of the Institute, was established at the Department of Medieval and Modern Church History.