We cordially invite you to our lecture in Prague.
The talk explores the transformative role of the Royal Prussian Eastern Railroad (Ostbahn) in shaping mobility and migration patterns in East Central Europe between the 1830s and the 1930s. Originally conceived as an internal Prussian project to connect Berlin with East Prussia’s provincial capital, Königsberg, the Ostbahn quickly evolved into a transnational force, facilitating economic exchange, migration, and cultural encounters across borders. As a crucial artery linking Western and Eastern Europe, the line became a space of multiple mobilities – serving not only travelers and engineers but also smugglers, seasonal workers, and emigrants seeking passage to the Americas.
The lecture will examine how the Ostbahn functioned within an entangled borderland, where imperial policies, nationalist movements, and individual trajectories intersected. It will highlight how this railway – initially an instrument of Prussian state-building – transcended national boundaries, accelerating globalization in a period of intensifying nationalism. Through case studies of border crossings, transregional trade, and migration hubs, I will illustrate how the Ostbahn reshaped perceptions of distance and connectivity, becoming both a conduit of economic integration and a contested site of political and cultural tension. Ultimately, this talk offers a lens into the broader dynamics of mobility, control, and transnational exchange in modern European history.
Location: Valentinská 1, 3rd floor
