The Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO), headquartered in Leipzig, is an interdisciplinary, internationally-oriented research institute of Eastern and Central Europe. Its main focus lies on the scientific study of the history and culture of the region bounded by the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, and Adriatic Sea from the Early Middle Ages to the present in a comparative perspective. The institute aims at contributing to a deeper understanding of the current political, economic and social developments in the countries, societies and cultures of Eastern Europe, especially the countries of East Central Europe.