Christian Speer

Dr. Christian Speer is a Researcher at the Institute of History, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, where he serves as Scientific Coordinator and Deputy Project Manager of the DFG long-term project 'Index Librorum Civitatum. Index of City Books of the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period, an Instrument for Basic Historical Research.' He also holds the position of Equal Opportunities Officer for the Faculty of Philosophy. His academic career has been dedicated to medieval and early modern urban history, with particular focus on the documentation systems of German cities.

Speer completed his Master of Arts at the Technical University of Dresden and the Università Degli Studi in Rome, specializing in Medieval History, Ancient History, and Art History. He earned his doctorate from the University of Regensburg in 2009 with the thesis 'Piety and Politics. Urban Elites in Görlitz between 1300 and 1550,' which was published as part of the Hallische Beiträge zur Geschichte des Mittelalters und der Frühen Neuzeit series. Prior to his current position, he held research appointments at the Max Planck Institute for History Göttingen, the Herzog-August-Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel, and the Thuringian University and State Library Jena.

His research interests center on urban documentary practices during the late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period, with particular expertise in city books (Stadtbücher), legal records, and administrative documentation. Speer has made significant contributions to the study of urban elites, religious practices, and the interplay between local governance and religious institutions in Central European cities, particularly Görlitz and other cities in Silesia and Upper Lusatia. His work often bridges the gap between textual scholarship and social history, examining how documentary practices reflected and shaped urban society.

Analysis of Speer's publications reveals a consistent focus on source criticism and historical editing, with particular attention to the Liber vetustissimus Gorlicensis (the oldest Görlitz city book) and related documentary traditions. His scholarship demonstrates methodological sophistication in handling medieval and early modern sources, with increasing attention to comparative urban history and the transregional connections between Central European cities. Recent work shows expansion into legal history and criminal justice systems of pre-modern urban communities.

• Chairman of the Association for the History of Silesia (www.vfgs.eu)
• Member of the Board of the Silesian Cultural Foundation (www.kulturwerk-schlesien.de)
• Member of the Historical Commission for Silesia (www.hiko-schlesien.de)
• Treasurer of the Carl Heinrich von Heineken Society

Speer has collaborated on multiple exhibitions including 'Life and Work of Ludwig Eduard Nollau (1810-1869)' and '...so that nothing perishes. The manuscript collection of Georg Rörer (1492-1557) as a treasure of the Reformation.' His research has been supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) through multiple long-term projects focused on historical source materials. He has also contributed to the third Saxon State Exhibition 'Via Regia' in Görlitz, responsible for church history, Reformation, and science history content.

As Scientific Coordinator of the 'Index Librorum Civitatum' project, Speer oversees a major international effort to catalog and analyze city books from across Europe, creating a fundamental research tool for historians of urban development. His work connects with broader scholarly initiatives in digital humanities through the online cataloging of historical manuscripts.