Bert Freyberger

Prof. Dr. Bert Freyberger is Professor of History Didactics at the University of Bamberg, Faculty of Humanities and Cultural Studies, where he has been teaching since February 2008. His office is located at Am Kranen 12, Room 02.02 in Bamberg, Germany.

Prof. Freyberger's academic journey began with secondary education at the Leopoldinum Humanistic-Modern Languages Gymnasium Passau (1976-1985), followed by studies at the Universities of Passau, Erlangen-Nuremberg, and Aix-en-Provence. He earned a double degree including a Master of Arts in Ancient History, Modern and Contemporary History, and Romance Philology, as well as a First State Examination for teaching at grammar schools. He completed his doctorate in Ancient History at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in 1996.

Before joining the University of Bamberg, Prof. Freyberger gained extensive practical teaching experience in secondary schools and served as a lecturer at several universities including Erlangen-Nuremberg, Regensburg, and Augsburg. At Bamberg, he has held significant administrative roles including Chairman of the Examination Board for teacher training programs (2008-2023) and Managing Director of the Institute for Historical Studies and European Ethnology (2010-2012).

Research Focus

Prof. Freyberger's research focuses on several interconnected areas that bridge theoretical and practical history education:

• Local history and extracurricular historical learning environments
• Memorial site didactics, particularly examining forms of local and regional remembrance culture
• Bilingual history lessons and cross-cultural historical education
• Antiquity and its role in historical learning
• Curriculum development for history education with emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches

His work demonstrates a particular interest in how students engage with challenging historical topics, especially National Socialism and its aftermath, as evidenced by the numerous theses he has supervised on these subjects. Prof. Freyberger also explores innovative teaching methods including the use of comics, oral history, and digital approaches to historical learning.

Academic Service

• Chairman of the Examination Board for modularized teacher training (2008-2023)
• Managing Chairman of the Bavarian Conference for History Didactics (2013-2016)
• Chairman of the Abibac Commission of the Bavarian State Ministry (2005-2015)
• Advisor to curriculum development commissions for the Bavarian State Ministry (2006-2016)
• Academic advisor for teacher training in history at the University of Bamberg

Supervision and Mentorship

Prof. Freyberger has supervised over fifty Bachelor's and Master's theses covering diverse topics in history education, with particular emphasis on memorial culture, National Socialism, and innovative teaching methods. He has also supervised doctoral work, including one completed dissertation and three in progress.