The Leipzig Theological Seminary (1990-1992: Kirchliche Hochschule) was one of three Protestant church universities in the GDR - the only one under the Lutheran sponsorship of the Saxon, Mecklenburg and Thuringian regional churches. As students without A-levels were also enrolled at the theological seminary and they were able to complete a one-year humanistic 'preliminary training' at the seminary as a substitute for a state A-level, a very specific student clientele gathered here - often young people who had not even been able to complete an A-level for political reasons, who had instead learned a profession and in some cases experienced considerable political repression. A critical attitude towards the SED state was just as natural for them as it was for the lecturers.

This project, which is being funded by the former sponsoring churches and their successor institutions, is initially concerned with researching archival sources (especially in the archives of the Saxon State Church in Dresden) and private collections on the history of the seminary, as well as conducting interviews with contemporary witnesses in preparation for a research proposal. In the course of reviewing the sources and oral history testimonies, specific research requests will be identified. Beyond 'revelations' and retrospective evaluations of one kind or another, the fundamental question of Christian attitudes in the socialist dictatorship will be discussed. This will include other aspects such as the question of theological and spiritual emphases.