PROGRAMM

Central Europe as a concept has been fading in and out of fashion, changing its meaning in the process. During the communist period, independent voices in Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary insisted that they belonged to Central, rather than Eastern Europe, to avoid being characterized as “backward”. Croatia, Romania, and even Ukraine have made their own, more contested claims to the same status. But throughout the long 19th century, “Central Europe” referred to a world largely defined by German language and culture rather than in opposition to Russian domination. Joined by IVAN VEJVODA, journalist LUKA IVAN JUKIĆ will sketch the life, death, and rebirth of Central Europe and will ask whether the region has the potential of reinventing itself once more.

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LUKA IVAN JUKIĆ is a journalist and historian focused on Central and Eastern Europe. His first book, Central Europe: The Death of a Civilization and the Life of an Idea (Hurst, 2025), was named a History Book of the Year by The Times. His next book—provisionally titled The Map of Europe: A History—will be published by Allen Lane in the UK, Holt in the US, and Piper Verlag in Germany.