Herzog Ernst and Hiob Ludolf Fellowships

Thanks to the generous support of the Ernst Abbe Foundation (Ernst-Abbe-Stiftung), which has funded the programme since 2020, the Herzog Ernst and Hiob Ludolf Fellowship Programme at the Gotha Research Campus is jointly carried out by the Gotha Research Center, the Centre for Transcultural Studies and the Gotha Research Library. The programme offers short-term scholarships for doctoral candidates and postdocs, as well as fellowships for senior scholars in the form of Hiob Ludolf Fellowships.

The academic focus aims to reflect the diverse and universal nature of the Gotha Library's collections, with special emphasis on research topics dedicated to these collections. These include historical studies on material culture and object history, studies on the history of knowledge in the natural sciences (e.g., zoology and botany), the history of knowledge in space-oriented disciplines (e.g., geography, geology, ethnology, and statistics), global history in ego documents, and cartography, politics, and colonial history. Additional interests, particularly concerning the Perthes Collection, include topics on publishing history, the history of individual publishing products, and last but not least, transdisciplinary collection research.

Further information:

Herzog Ernst Scholarships     Hiob Ludolf Fellowships

The scholarship programme is open for doctoral candidates, postdocs, and senior scholars. We welcome applications from the fields of history, the history of knowledge and history of science, as well as literary studies, media studies, art and visual studies, regional studies, and political science with a historical approach and historically interested ethnology, anthropology. We are also interested in transdisciplinary research on practices of collecting. Projects that contribute to the academic profile of the Centre and engage with our core interests in inter- and transdisciplinary questions, postcolonial studies, and global perspectives are especially welcome. Topics that explore postcolonialism, globality, and reflexive approaches addressing politically and socially relevant issues are particularly valued.

Please note that fellows are required to reside in Gotha for the duration of the fellowship.

Herzog Ernst Scholarships for doctoral candidates: research grant of 1.500 euros per month, plus a potential family allowance of 100 euros per month, if applicable, for a maximum duration of 9 months.

Herzog Ernst Scholarships for postdoctoral researchers: research grant of 2.000 euros per month, plus a potential family allowance of 100 euros per month, if applicable, for a maximum of 6 months.

Hiob Ludolf Fellowships are intended for established national or international senior scholars who wish to spend a research period of one or two months in Gotha. They will receive a reimbursement of travel and accommodation costs of up to 1.500 euros per month.

Application documents for Herzog Ernst Scholarships and Hiob Ludolf Fellowships:

• Application form (Herzog Ernst Scholarships: PDF) and cover letter stating the desired research period (Hiob Ludolf Fellowships)
• Curriculum Vitae
• Brief outline of the project (3–5 pages) including a statement explaining the necessity of conducting research in Gotha, explicitly indicating which holdings or collections will be consulted. It is recommended that applicants contact the Gotha Research Library in advance of submitting their application to discuss the relevant holdings. Please email: bibliothek.gotha@uni-erfurt.de
• Copies of relevant certificates
• A list of publications, if applicable
• Signed consent to the processing of personal data (PDF).

The application documents must be submitted as a single PDF file (max. 5 MB) in the order specified above to: herzogernst@uni-erfurt.de. Applications for fellowships may be submitted in German or English by September 30, 2025, using the subject line: "Herzog Ernst Fellowship" or “Hiob Ludolf Fellowship” at the Gotha Research Campus.

In addition, applications for the Herzog Ernst Fellowships require two recent letters of recommendation related to the project (please list the names of both referees on the application form). These letters must be submitted separately and on time by the referees via email.

Further details about the application can be found at:

Application Herzog Ernst Scholarships     Application Hiob Ludolf Fellowships

• Closing date for applications for 2026: September 30, 2025
• Earliest date for starting your research stay and your fellowship: February 1, 2026

Contact for questions regarding the application:
Kristina Petri, M.A.
Forschungszentrum Gotha | CG3 – Forschungszentrum Gotha | Schloßberg 2 | 99867 Gotha
+49 361 737-1712
herzogernst@uni-erfurt.de

Contact for questions regarding the Centre for Transcultural Studies:
Dominic Keyßner, M.A.
Forschungskolleg Transkulturelle Studien / Sammlung Perthes | CG2 – Pagenhaus | Schlossplatz 1 | 99867 Gotha
+49 361 737-1602
fkts.gotha@uni-erfurt.de

Contact for questions regarding the Collections:

Gotha Research Library:
bibliothek.gotha@uni-erfurt.de

Gotha Perthes Collection:
sammlungperthes.fb@uni-erfurt.de

The Perthes Collection is part of the Gotha Research Library. It preserves the records of the publishing house Justus Perthes Gotha, founded in 1785, and its successors (VEB Hermann Haack Geographisch-Kartographische Anstalt Gotha and Justus Perthes Geographische Verlagsanstalt Darmstadt). The Perthes Collection consists of a specialized geographic-cartographic library with 120,000 volumes, the archival collection with about 800 running meters, and the map collection, which includes 185,000 sheets of cartographic material.

In addition to extensive correspondence, work journals, account books and a collection of voucher copies of the publisher's products, the archive contains hand-drawn manuscript maps, map drafts and itineraries. Additionally, there is a wealth of printed maps from other publishers, which had been evaluated and used by the Gotha cartographers for their own maps and atlases. This outstanding cultural heritage allows deep insights into the inner life of three of the most influential European map publishers in the 19th and 20th centuries and into the production processes of their published cartographic and geographical works.

Part of the collection, in particular a significant proportion of the maps of Africa and Asia as well as the publisher's products, is available digitally in the Digital Historical Library Erfurt/Gotha. Here you will also find holdings of the Gotha Research Library that have already been digitized. By searching with the abbreviation SPA (Perthes Archive Collection), SPB (Perthes Library Collection) and SPK (Perthes Map Collection), researchers can filter out the digital copies belonging to the Perthes Collection.

Printed works and books belonging to the library of the publishing house, as well as maps produced by Justus Perthes Gotha, can also be searched via the Online Catalogue of the Erfurt University Library. In addition, larger holdings connected to the editorial staff of the journal Petermanns Geographische Mitteilungen can already be accessed via the manuscript database Kalliope.

Overview of Digitized Holdings

For further information, please contact the collection team: sammlungperthes.fb@uni-erfurt.de