"Special university in a special place"

The historian of Eastern Europe and long-time expert on German-Polish relations, Prof. Dr. Eduard Mühle, took up his duties as president of the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) on Monday, April 3.

In a press briefing, he introduced himself to the media on Wednesday, April 5, and emphasized: "I look forward to working together with the people of Viadrina in the coming years to ensure that this special university in this special place as a place of attractive teaching, innovative research, international cooperation? and socially relevant transfers will become even more visible and even more effective their academic-scientific contribution to the management of current crises and upcoming future tasks. I am well aware that this is an exciting and challenging task to which I will devote all my energies. University and science policy are very familiar to me since my first professional years and Poland and Eastern Europe for decades both professionally and privately very close - so the Viadrina is exactly the right place for me to take responsibility as university president."

On Thursday, April 27, 1 pm, Prof. Dr. Eduard Mühle will give his public inaugural address as part of the ceremony to introduce him to the office of President of the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder). Interested parties are cordially invited to the Auditorium Maximum of the Viadrina, Logenstraße 4, in Frankfurt (Oder).

Prof. Dr. Eva Kocher, who held the office of Viadrina President until March 31, first welcomes the guests. This is followed by greetings from Dr. Manja Schüle, Minister for Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg, Prof. Dr. habil. Bogumiła Kaniewska, Rector of Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań, René Wilke, Mayor of Frankfurt (Oder), Mariusz Olejniczak, Mayor of Słubice, and Peer Schwiders, Chairman of the General Student Committee. This will be followed by the ceremonial handover of office by Prof. Dr. Klaus Dicke, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the European University Viadrina Foundation, before Prof. Dr. Eduard Mühle gives his inaugural address.
From about 2.30 pm Viadrina President Prof. Dr. Eduard Mühle invites his guests to a drink.

When and where?

Thursday, April 27, 2023 - 1:00 pm
Auditorium Maximum of the Viadrina, Logenstraße 4, Frankfurt (Oder)

About the person: The Eastern European historian Prof. Dr. Eduard Mühle was elected on November 2, 2022 by the Senate and Foundation Board of the European University Viadrina Foundation Frankfurt (Oder) as Viadrina President. He moves to the European University Viadrina from the Westphalian Wilhelms University Münster, where he had been appointed to the Chair of History of East Central and Eastern Europe in 2005. Previously, Prof. Dr. Eduard Mühle had headed the Leibniz Institute for Historical Research on Eastern Central Europe (Herder Institute) in Marburg from 1995 to 2005. Between 2008 and 2013, he was director of the German Historical Institute in Warsaw. The internationally widely networked historian is, among other things, the recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award of the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) and Foreign Member of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Arts in Krakow. In 2021, he received the Lux et Laus Medal of the Polish Association of Medievalists for outstanding services to German-Polish cooperation and the study of the Middle Ages.