“ein groß und unerhört meer Wunder“ Narrative und Wahrnehmungen historischer Sturmfluten in der südwestlichen Ostsee vom 14.-17. Jahrhundert
Extreme storm surges occurring on the southwestern coasts of the Baltic Sea were perceived as disasters. How this can be concluded from the narrative texts concerning these events, as well as which factors played a key role in their depiction, has been the main focus of analysis in the doctoral thesis. Contributing to the environmental history of the Baltic Sea Region during the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period, the dissertation builds off the experiences of natural disasters and its aftermath.
Based on a compilation of diverse source material, three cases studies concerning events at the start of the 14th century as well as during the years 1497 and 1625 served as a magnifying glass which allowed for tracing the prominent and defining aspects such as nature description, the role of those impacted, religious responses, and memorial practices. Through this, questions concerning the perception of nature, dealing with catastrophe, and the establishment of a lasting disaster memory culture along the impacted coasts could be answered in the context of the study.
Publications from the project
- “Die Sturmflut 1625 in Rostock – Eine Spurensuche,” Beiträge zur Geschichte der Stadt Rostock 37 (2024): 152-167.
- “Environmental History and Coastal Protection: A memorial excursion and conference,” [blog] Environmental History Now, March 14, 2023, https://envhistnow.com/2023/03/14/environmental-history-and-coastal-protection-a-memorial-excursion-and-conference/.
- “Exploring the landscape and local legends: A historical storm surge site excursion report,” [blog] Baltic Peripeties Blog, October 14, 2022, https://peripeties.uni-greifswald.de/exploring-the-landscape/.
- “Three storms and two anniversaries: Bringing back memories,” [blog] Baltic Peripeties Blog, May 3, 2022, https://peripeties.uni-greifswald.de/three-storms-and-two-anniversaries-bringing-back-memories/.