Documenting the pandemic at a Pan-European level
In early 2020, the House of European History started a project collecting evidence of life in Europe during the Covid 19 pandemic, focusing on the phenomena of solidarity, hope and community building. The galleries below show a range of objects documented and donated to our collection.
A selection of these were put on display in the Fables Room of the museum from June to December 2020.
Banner "Andrà tutto bene" (Everything will be alright), made by a family in Eboli, South Italy, 11 March 2020
Donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
"I see your true colours shining through" rainbow banner made by Smaranda (9 years old) and hung in her street window in Bournemouth, UK, 3 April 2020 © Ana-Maria Rampelt
Will be donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
Banner "Tout ira bien" (Everything will be alright), hung along the walls of Schaerbeek School no. 16, Brussels, Belgium, March - May 2020
Donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
The Centre for Research and Training of Northern University was fundraising to help the county hospital in Baia Mare, Romania. Volunteers have raised money for the production of 310 protective masks, decorated with a sticker, and two ventilators.
Protective masks with sticker "Totul va fi bine" (Everything will be alright), Baia Mare, Romania, March 2020 © The Centre for Research and Training of North University, Baia Mare, Romania
Rainbow banner displayed by Hungarian-Italian family in Brussels, February-June 2020
Donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
Pandemic borders
The freedom of movement took a hard blow during lockdown. Forgotten borders were reinstated and many Europeans found themselves separated from their families. The inhabitants of border towns reacted with creativity, artworks and silent protests against this limitation on the freedom of movement.
In mid-March 2020, a metal fence appeared separating the lakeside green open space shared by the German city of Konstanz and the Swiss city of Kreuzlingen. A silent protest against the closing of the border soon followed. Organisers invited everyone who was impacted or who wanted to participate out of solidarity to think about something they could bring to the fence: a photo, a letter, a lock, or something else creative. The invitation was to ‘Bring only positive items. No provocations and no rubbish’.
In this video Gruia Bădescu, a researcher at the University of Konstanz, documents the new reality of a city living with the new border.
Banner on the Polish border "Stýská se mi po tobě Čechu" (I miss you, Czech).
Banner on the Polish border "Stýská se mi po tobě Čechu" (I miss you, Czech), March 2020 © Stefan Manka, Cieszyn, Poland
A spontaneous action took place March 20, 2020 across the Polish and Czech border. The cities of Cieszyn and Český Těšín, normally connected by bridges over the Olza river, were blocked by border controls. As a reaction to this, a group of Polish and Czech inhabitants made banners on both sides of the river with messages declaring that they missed each other.
Banners on the Czech border "I ja za tobą Polaku" (I miss you too, Pole) and "Chybíte nám Poláci!" (We miss you Poles), March 2020 © Stefan Manka, Cieszyn, Poland
Fundamental rights under lockdown
The European-wide lockdown sometimes meant a limitation of fundamental rights. But people found ways to make their voices heard.
In April 2020 in Poland, a law was about to be voted in, making abortion and sexual education illegal. The black umbrellas that had become the symbol of the fight to protect women’s rights in Poland could not be used in physical protests. Instead, protesters joined a queue at a supermarket — the only public space available to multiple people at once — carrying the umbrellas. Other protesters displayed black umbrellas and posters in their balconies and windows. The voting of the anti-abortion law was finally postponed.
Umbrella used to protest against the voting of an anti-abortion law, Szczecin, Poland, April 2020
Donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
Battered pot used to protest against the lock down measures in Madrid, Spain, May 2020.
Donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
Creative response
Making and enjoying art played a major role in the lockdown experience. Children and adults expressed a variety of feelings through drawings, poems or music. Through school and study projects they documented their everyday life. Other art works were created to support their friends or family members.
Sketchbook ‘Brief graphic recovery of terms of frequent use during the Sars-Cov-2 epidemic’, Carmela del Casar Ximénez, March-May 2020, Madrid, Spain.
Donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
"One of the most common effects of Covid-19 illness is shortness of breath and difficulties in breathing, however this illness caused suffocation in many other aspects of life... plenty of guaranteed constitutional human rights were suppressed in many European countries during the corona crisis and this caused social suffocation for thousands of citizens." Anna Vasof
’Hand Mask’, Anna Vasof, Vienna, Austria, March 2020. Acquired 2020. EU, EP, House of European History, Brussels © Anna Vasof
"Coronavirus, Coronavirus, we disinfect our hands,
It all started in Chinese lands.
Coronavirus, Coronavirus, the whole world prays to God,
At home we are all locked.
Coronavirus, Coronavirus, with doctors' work we'll hold,
They're selfless and bold,
Precious as gold!
Coronavirus, Coronavirus, all of us our hands are washing,
Hoping soon we will be hugging."
The crown on top of the virus comes from the translation of "corona" in Italian, which means "crown".
The poem ´Coronavirus´ by Davide, aged 10, Italy, March 2020 © Davide Argiolas, Italy
Sara Roloff, a Swiss woman living in London, shared her story about the battle with Covid 19 in the form of a diary logbook. Leon (9) and Felix (6), sons of Sara's Belgian friend, drew this picture for her as encouragement to keep on fighting. This picture and Sara's story became a tool to explain the virus to children and other people who wanted to help someone going through the same battle and ease their anxiety.
Drawing "Sara fighting Corona Virus" by Leon (9) and Felix (6), Brussels-London, April 2020. Donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
Medical staff: the new heroes
From the very beginning of the Covid19 pandemic, healthcare workers have been on the front line. In hospitals, as in the care-giving sector in general, many workers paid for their jobs with their lives, often due to insufficient protective equipment. Nurses and doctors are depicted literally as the new super heroes of our troubled times.
In Romania, a communication agency had the idea to represent them as Saints and Gods, inspired by various religious iconographies (and arousing the ire of some religious leaders).
"Thank you, doctors!" poster considered offensive and withdrawn from outdoor display April 2020, Bucharest, Romania © Wanda Hutira, McCann Bucharest
Even as heroes or saints, medical workers were also subjects of fear and distrust. In several European countries, the media reported acts of discrimination or aggression perpetrated towards medical staff, for example by neighbours fearing they would be infected. Fortunately, those acts were often counterbalanced by testimonies of support and solidarity.
Anonymous message put on the car windshield of the nurse Camille Ruiz, Valence, France, end of March 2020. Donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
Even as heroes or saints, medical workers were also subjects of fear and distrust. In several European countries, the media reported acts of discrimination or aggression perpetrated towards medical staff, for example by neighbours fearing they would be infected. Fortunately, those acts were often counterbalanced by testimonies of support and solidarity.
Solidarity message in answer to it, Valence, France, end of March 2020. Donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
Even if they mainly declared thanks to the people supporting them via various actions, medical workers also protested on a massive scale across the whole continent, against the lack of protection that made them extremely vulnerable to the virus.
"What do we applaud for? For health, for life. In the future, let’s support common resources. without capitalism." Support and protest banner, Forest (Brussels), April 2020. Donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
Solidarity in Practice
The outbreak of the Covid 19 crisis will be remembered in connection with short supplies of protective material, not only for the wider public but also for medical workers. Lack of masks, suits and other protective equipment caused dramatic situations in many European countries. Across the continent, these emergencies inspired citizens to step in and give help on a voluntary basis in order to offer remedies as quickly as possible.
When medical supplies are scarce, from protection equipment to life-saving ventilators, owners of 3D printers step in to produce quicker and cheaper versions that helped saved lives. Discover some examples of solidarity, community building and creativity in dealing with the pandemic.
Solidarity in the making
The Bulgarian design studio Love 2 Design joined the initiative ´#ЗАДОБРОТО´ (#THEGOOD). Here, many enthusiasts with 3D printers produced protective face shields for front-line medical workers.
3D printed protective face shield by the Love 2 Design Company, Shumen, Bulgaria, March-April 2020. Donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
Protective gowns produced by volunteers, Madrid, Spain, March-May 2020 © Susana Molinero, Madrid. Donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
Medical workers and other professionals, such as carers in nursing homes, were facing a lack of protective gowns. People with the necessary skills offered their help and often managed to produce huge quantities of such clothing.
In Madrid, a group of volunteers organised themselves and started sewing protective gowns. Many individuals, often seniors, who had a sewing machine at home, lent a hand too. They co-ordinated the production and distributed the gowns with a heart logo to hospitals, police stations, firefighters or public administration staff.
Protective gowns produced by volunteers, Madrid, Spain, March-May 2020 © Susana Molinero, Madrid. Donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
Medical facemasks were in short supply everywhere despite their necessity for professionals working with Covid 19 patients in hospitals. In several European countries, spontaneously and in the spirit of solidarity, many people took the initiative and started producing home-made cloth face masks for their own use and for sharing with others, although there had been conflicting scientific evidence as to their value. Home-inventors developed special filters and helped to improve the usability of such facemasks.
Homemade masks distributed to people in need in Czechia, March 2020 © Martina Lepší, Vojtanov, Czechia. Will be donated to the House of European History, Brussels.
Pandemic Soundscapes
How did Europe sound during the coronavirus pandemic? What connects the lockdown experience across the continent? This sound composition created by Mara Maracinescu features 21 distinct recordings from 17 European countries, made between March and May 2020 during the first European COVID-19 lockdown.
The main purpose of the research and resulting composition was to trace the impact of the lockdown on European soundscapes: new rituals or types of gathering that appeared; changes in the ambient soundscape, due to lower traffic, or the amplified presence of the State’s voice, for example through loudspeakers.
"Pandemic Soundscapes"
Commissioned and acquired in 2020 by the EU, EP, House of European History from Mara Mărăcinescu. Sounds across Europe during the coronavirus pandemic