Fedor Besseler - Werkstatt für Geschichte

»The profession of historian is a beautiful profession. To be practiced properly, it requires a lot of work, a lot of different skills and a real intellectual power: curiosity, imagination, orderly thinking and, finally, the ability to express people's thoughts and feelings clearly and accurately.«

Marc Bloch (1886—1944)

Opening of the exhibition 75 Years of the Central Council of Jews in Germany on February 22, 2026, at the Braunschweig City Museum, Photo: Gregor Zielke

Main focus

Social, economic and cultural history of the 19th and 20th centuries
Jewish history and culture in Germany and Europe
History of the middle classes and the working class in the German Empire (1871—1918)
History of National Socialism and its aftermath up to the present day
Biographical and family research
Frankfurt city history

Opening of the exhibition »Auf Leben. 75 years of the Jewish community in Frankfurt« — Opening of the exhibition »Revive. 75 years of the Jewish community in Frankfurt«, Foto: © Peter Jülich

The Museum of Jewish Antiquities at its former location on today's Konstablerwache, photomontage: © Institut für Gebrauchsgrafik

Services

Archive research at home and abroad
Conception and realization of historical exhibitions
Text editing, e.g. commemorative publications, scientific essays, monographs
Creation of digital or analog topographies
Guided tours of cities and museums

Projects

2026: Research Associate at the Nathan Peter Levinson Foundation, Potsdam
2024—26: Together with Dr. Peter Joch, curator of the exhibition »With Our Own Voice: 75 Years of the Central Council of Jews in Germany« on behalf of the Municipal Museum of Braunschweig
2024: Conception and research of historical theme tours through Frankfurt's Ostend district for the platform on behalf of the Cultural Office of the City of Frankfurt (project management: Heike Drummer)
2023—24: Creation of the commemorative publication 50 years of the Frankfurt Jewish community's retirement center
2022—24: Together with Laura Schilling curator of the exhibition »Revive. 75 Years of the Jewish Community Frankfurt« on behalf of the Jewish Community
2021—23: Co-curator of the exhibition »Metal & Society #WilhelmMerton« at the Jewish Museum Frankfurt (chief curator: Heike Drummer)
2022: Research and database editing for the Shoah Memorial on behalf of the Jewish Museum Frankfurt
2021: Research for the digital topography »Frankfurt and National Socialism« as part of the exhibition »A City Joins In. Frankfurt and Nazism«
2017—2022: Museum and city tours on behalf of the Historisches Museum Frankfurt

Exhibition catalog »Revive. 75 Years of the Jewish Community of Frankfurt, © Michael Faust« — Exhibition catalog »Revive. 75 Years of the Jewish Community of Frankfurt«, © Michael Faust

I have written the following entries for the Frankfurter Personenlexikon:

Ceremony 50 years of the Frankfurt Jewish Community's Center for the Elderly, © Michael Faust

About

I completed my Master of Arts (M.A.) in History at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, the Institut d'Études politiques in Lyon, the École des Hautes Études en Sciences sociales Paris (EHESS) and the Justus Liebig University Giessen. The seminars and lectures of Prof. Dr. Christian Wiese and Prof. Dr. Stefan Rohdewald were decisive for my specialization in German-Jewish history.
In addition to my passion for history, I enjoy cycling and playing basketball. I am a fan of the Fraport Skyliners.

Network

Commemorative publication »50 Years of the Frankfurt Jewish Community's Center for the Elderly«, © Michael Faust