Why should we look at a conflict from the 17th century to solve some of today’s conflicts? Are there really parallels between the Thirty Years’ War and contemporary conflicts? Can we learn from history and if so, which lessons can we draw and where are the limits?
This workshop dealt with the Peace of Westphalia, which in 1648 ended the Thirty Years’ War in central Europe. The participants used it as a specific historical experience but also as an analytical tool to understand and shed a new light on the roots of current conflicts and political rivalries. Can historical research on »Westphalia« provide a creative approach to resolve or at least to gain a better understanding of longstanding conflicts? The participants got the chance to meet experts and scholars who have been working on taking this new path and reinvent the Peace of Westphalia.
Larissa Düchting
Trainee at Stadtmuseum
Münster
Münster, Germany
For the closing ceremony the participants created a presentation on their learnings which was presented by two participants.
