| Campus Gotha, Gotha Research Library, Centre for Transcultural Studies, Gotha Research Centre, Knowledge, Spaces, and Media, Research

Scholarships advertised at the Gotha Research Campus

The University of Erfurt is once again inviting applications for Herzog-Ernst Scholarships and Hiob-Ludolf Fellowships at its Gotha Research Campus for 2027, for research into the Gotha collections, primarily at the Gotha Research Library. Applications are open until 30 September 2026.

Herzog-Ernst-Büste in der Forschungsbibliothek Gotha der Universität Erfurt

The scholarship programme supports academic research into the holdings of the Gotha Research Library and the associated historical collections of the Justus Perthes publishing house in Gotha. The academic focus of the programme aims to reflect the diverse holdings and the universality of the Gotha Library. The programme is open in terms of both subject matter and academic discipline. In addition, the collections of the Thuringian State Archives – Gotha State Archives and the Friedenstein Foundation in Gotha may also be incorporated into the research.

The following scholarships will be awarded from 1 February 2027 for academic research into the Gotha collections:

  • Herzog Ernst Scholarships for doctoral candidates (amounting to 1,500 euros per month, plus a family allowance of a flat rate of 100 euros per month where applicable) for a maximum duration of six months;
  • Herzog Ernst Scholarships for postdoctoral researchers (amounting to 2,000 euros per month, plus a flat-rate family allowance of 100 euros per month where applicable) for a maximum duration of six months;
  • Hiob Ludolf Fellowships. These are aimed at established national and international senior scholars who wish to spend one to two months in Gotha conducting research. They receive reimbursement of travel and subsistence costs of up to 1,500 euros per month.

Depending on their research focus, scholarship holders and fellows are affiliated with either the Gotha Research Centre at the University of Erfurt or the Centre for Transcultural Studies / Perthes Collection. They participate in academic life on the Gotha campus and present their research project in a public colloquium lecture. In addition, upon completion of their studies, they submit a report on the findings derived from the Gotha library collections. For the duration of the scholarship, they are required to reside in Gotha.

Further information can be found on the scholarship websites and in our call for applications.

The Gotha Research Library of the University of Erfurt

… based at Friedenstein Castle, it houses outstanding collections relating to the cultural history of the Early Modern and Modern periods. Alongside the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel, it is the most significant library in Germany – after those in Berlin and Munich – for historical holdings from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Since 2003, the library has also included the Gotha Perthes Collection, which originated from the holdings of the Justus Perthes publishing house in Gotha, founded in 1785. It ranks among the world’s most significant specialist geographical collections. The research library’s mission is to collect, preserve and catalogue its sources, which form part of Europe’s cultural heritage. In total, the library holds some 700,000 printed works, including around 350,000 prints from the 16th to the 18th centuries. In addition, there are approximately 11,500 manuscript volumes, comprising a significant collection of manuscripts, autographs and estates relating to the cultural history of Protestantism in the early modern period, as well as a collection of around 3,500 Oriental manuscripts – the third largest of its kind in Germany. The library also preserves a remarkable collection of letters from German emigrants to America. The Gotha Perthes Collection comprises the archives of the Justus Perthes publishing house in Gotha and its successors; with its three sections – the map collection, the specialist library and the publishing archive – it forms a unique body of related material. The map collection contains approximately 185,000 sheets dating from the 18th to the 20th centuries, drawn from both international and the publisher’s own map production; the specialist cartographic and geographical library comprises 120,000 volumes. The publishing archive, spanning 800 running metres, includes, amongst other things, the records of the editorial office of “Petermanns Mitteilungen”, a collection of specimen copies of the publisher’s output, and 1,650 copper plates.

More links

Back