375 years of the Peace of Westphalia

Current and historical contributions of the Cluster of Excellence in the 2023 anniversary programme in Münster

In 2023, the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” took part in the City of Münster’s anniversary programme “375 years of the Peace of Westphalia” by organizing a wide range of events on peace issues past and present. The highlight of the anniversary year was the “Westphalian Peace Summit”, which allowed a glimpse into global perspectives on peace. On 24 October, the date of the Westphalian peace treaty, international guests from the global North and South, such as Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Roberta Gbowee from Liberia, discussed the paths that could lead to peace when crises around the world threaten a safe future.

The Cluster of Excellence’s contributions also included the conference “Winning the peace? A comparison of cities after 1648”, the discussion evening “How stable is peace? The Peace of Westphalia as a treaty under international law”, and the symposium “Winning the peace from 1648 to today”. The events focused on how it is possible not only to make peace, but also to maintain it. The anniversary programme comprised a total of around 300 events organized by 50 institutions and citizens at more than 40 locations. It was developed by the “1648 Dialogues for Peace” working group of the “Alliance for Science”, where the city, university and political domain link the city’s history with current peace issues. The Cluster of Excellence, which has been analyzing past and present conflicts as well as strategies and symbols of peace for years, has been involved in the project since 2009. Read more

Westphalian Peace Summit

To mark the end of the anniversary year on 24 October, international experts from the global North and South discussed issues relating to global peace. Guests included Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Roberta Gbowee, Indian political scientist Prof. Dr. Ummu Salma Bava from New Delhi, and Prof. Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Read more

Symposium: “Winning the peace from 1648 to today: Historical perspectives on the Peace of Westphalia and the present day”

The event “Winning the peace from 1648 to today: Historical perspectives on the Peace of Westphalia and the present day” addresses the question of what past peace treaties can teach us with regard to current conflicts. Hosted by the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL), the City of Münster and the Cluster of Excellence (represented by historian Prof. Dr. Ricarda Vulpius), the symposium took place at the LWL Museum of Art and Culture. Read more

Discussion evening: “How stable is peace? The Peace of Westphalia as a treaty under international law”

Organized by the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” and the Käte Hamburger Kolleg “Legal Unity and Pluralism” at the University of Münster, the discussion evening “How stable is peace? The Peace of Westphalia as a treaty under international law” saw researchers discuss the long-term effects of the Peace of Westphalia 375 years ago from a historical, legal and constitutional perspective. The evening shed light on how an agreement was reached after 30 years of war that brought peace to Europe and a new, forward-looking international system of law. Read more

Conference: “Winning the peace? A comparison of cities after 1648”

What happened in cities like Münster, Trier and Utrecht after the peace treaty 375 years ago? This was the question discussed by scholars at the international conference “Winning the peace? A comparison of cities after 1648”. How did people manage to live together in war-torn cities after the end of the war? What effects did the war have on the spatial reorganization of cities between reconstruction and post-war economy? The conference was organized by the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”, the Münster City Archives, and the Institute for Comparative Urban History at the University of Münster. Read more

Dossier: "Peace. From antiquity to today"

People have always longed for peace, but they have never been able to keep it in the long term. Using many examples from European history, researchers from the Cluster of Excellence show in video statements and reports how people from antiquity to the present day have endeavoured to establish and maintain peace. The contributions were published as part of the exhibition “Peace: From antiquity to today”, which took place at five locations in Münster, the city of the Peace of Westphalia, in 2018. The idea and underlying concept of the exhibition were developed as part of the Cluster of Excellence’s long engagement with the issue of peace. To the dossier (in German)