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The Teutonic Order Research Centre (German: Forschungsstelle Deutscher Orden), is a research institution at the Julius-Maximilian University of Würzburg. It is dedicated to the history of the Teutonic Order, with a particular focus on the regional history of Franconia.
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History
By 1219, members of the Teutonic Order had settled in the Tauber-Franconian city of Mergentheim. In 1527 the Order’s headquarters were established there. From its early days, the Order was also based in Würzburg. Because of this long historical tradition, in 2010 Dieter Salch - Honorary Chevalier of the Teutonic Order and proud citizen of Würzburg - asked University President Prof. Alfred Forchel to consider founding a Teutonic Order Research Center at the University of Würzburg.
The Teutonic Order Research Center was established in the Leighton Barracks, home of the 1st Infantry Division of the United States of America. After the transformation of part of the barracks into Campus Hubland North, the former Elementary School was refurbished and opened for use. The archive of the University of Würzburg and an institute for the social and cultural history of university students (Institut für Hochschulkunde) additionally moved into the former Elementary School. The three institutions commonly use and manage the reading rooms and technical facilities such as the new mobile shelving in the archive.
The Center was inaugurated on July 3, 2014. Bruno Platter, Friedhelm Hofmann, Dieter Salch, Josef Schuster, Alfred Forchel, Paul Beinhofer, Christian Schuchardt, Bernhart Jähnig, Arno Mentzel-Reuters, Udo Arnold, Oliver Jörg and Edda Weise were present. Guests came from Poland, Belgium, Austria and Italy.
Focus
The Research Center is focused on the European-wide History of the Order - from the Mediterranean Countries to Prussia. It also has a strong connection to the Historical Landscape of Franconia (now the northern part of Bavaria). The Research Center is linked to the University of Würzburg and the University's Chair for the Regional History of Franconia, Helmut Flachenecker, is the Director. Under his leadership, the Center aims to place the Order's history within Europe-wide history as well as in its more specific regional and local contexts. As a result, research focuses on comparative European regional history, including diverse political, religious and cultural references. At the same time, it researches the history of the Ballei (an Order’s administrative district) and the Teutonic Order's Commandery ('Komturei') of Franconia.
Most of the refurbishment costs of €400,000 were covered by the Free State of Bavaria. Additional funding came from Deutschen Gesellschaft für Hochschulkunde, Deutschherrenbund, Gesellschaft der Freunde und Förderer des Deutschen Ordens St. Mariens in Jerusalem and Dieter-Salch-Stiftung Pro Universitate.