Katalin Szende

Katalin Szende is a Professor in the Department of Historical Studies at Central European University (CEU), where she also serves as Director of the Cultural Heritage Studies Program and is affiliated with the Doctoral School of History and the CEU Democracy Institute. She is based in Vienna and holds a PhD from Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest, and completed her habilitation at Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary (KEE).

Her research focuses on medieval towns in the Carpathian Basin and Central Europe, with particular interest in urban society, demography, literacy, everyday life, topography, and material culture. She is deeply involved in major scholarly projects such as the Hungarian Atlas of Historic Towns, where she serves as series editor, and is a board member of the International Commission for the History of Towns. She is also the founding president of the Medieval Central Europe Research Network (MECERN), promoting interdisciplinary collaboration across the region.

Her recent publications reflect a strong trend in comparative urban history, administrative literacy, and the material culture of writing in medieval towns. Her work often bridges archaeology, legal history, and urban studies, emphasizing the interplay between physical space and institutional development. She has authored influential books such as Trust, Authority, and the Written Word in the Royal Towns of Medieval Hungary (2018) and co-edited volumes like Medieval Buda in Context (2016) and Medieval East Central Europe in a Comparative Perspective (2017).

• PhD, ELTE Budapest
• Habilitation, KEE Budapest

She has received recognition through extensive publication and leadership in international academic networks. Her editorial and organizational roles highlight her impact on shaping research agendas in medieval urban studies.

Katalin Szende has supervised and collaborated with numerous scholars, contributing to the training of the next generation of historians, though specific student names are not listed in the provided texts. Her research has been supported by collaborations with institutions such as Heidelberg University and the Academy of Sciences, and she frequently contributes to international conferences and edited volumes.

She leads and participates in significant research teams, including the Hungarian Atlas of Historic Towns project and MECERN, fostering cross-border scholarly exchange and advancing the study of Central European urbanism.