The professional competence of teachers contributes significantly to the quality of teaching and its effectiveness in learning. For this reason, we are committed to building and developing the professional competence of teachers at all school levels, as well as providing continuing education for those involved in extracurricular politics and history education. In the Mind the Gap project, we are developing the foundations for diversity-sensitive and anti-racist education and exploring learning processes for building professional skills in prospective teachers. In the SNF-funded project The Yugoslav Wars and their consequences as a subject in German-Swiss history lessons, we are examining approaches and challenges in dealing with controversial issues in the context of the Yugoslav Wars among teachers and their students, and observe newer approaches to the history of Eastern Europe and the Balkans, which also play a significant role in the family histories of current students.