Heidi Hein-Kircher

PD Dr. Heidi Hein-Kircher is a Senior Lecturer in History at Philipps-Universität Marburg and Head of Subproject A06 at the Herder Institute. Her academic journey includes a PhD from Heinrich Heine University (2000) and Habilitation at Marburg (2018). She has held roles such as Professor for History and its Didactics at the University of Wuppertal (2017–2020), Head of the Science Forum at the Herder Institute (since 2009), and Research Assistant at multiple institutions. Her research focuses on East Central Europe, including urban history, national minorities, Jewish history, and security studies.

Her key publications include studies on Lviv’s municipal politics under the Habsburg Empire, bulwark myths in East European societies, and Polish-German memory culture. She co-edited 'Rampart Nations' (2019) and the 'Journal for Research on East Central Europe'. Awards include scholarships from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the German Historical Institute in Warsaw.

Hein-Kircher’s work bridges historical analysis with contemporary issues, emphasizing transnational and comparative perspectives. She has held leadership roles in professional associations, including the German Association for East European Studies and the Association of Eastern European Historians.