Visitors to the House of European History now have the opportunity to go on a visual journey of the last 100 years of the continent’s history. They can do so through the museum’s new temporary exhibition When Walls Talk, which opened to the public on Saturday, Apr. 30.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola inaugurated the exhibition a day earlier, on Friday, Apr. 29, and became the first prominent EU citizen to take a tour.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Metsola highlighted the power of the medium in various spheres of human activity and noted that despite technological advancements this power has not waned. She also said that one of the reasons posters still play a big part in the daily lives of people is the fact that each poster tells a complete story.
It always is a story we can relate to because it contains elements that strike a chord within us all. When these complete stories are placed next to each other, they create a mosaic of something bigger. They describe an era, an idea, the formation of an ideology. This is what makes When Walls Talk so exciting, so thought provoking,
Hans-Gert Pöttering, Chairman of the House of European History’s Board of Trustees, noted that this is the fourth temporary exhibition in the museum’s five-year history. He said the House has been warmly received by the public and by the museum’s peers in the cultural sector.
This appreciation is linked to the museum’s academic independence. It is the curatorial team, in cooperation with the museum’s Academic Committee and the supervisory board, who decide the content,
Jaume Duch Guillot, the EP’s Director-General for Communication, noted that it is the duty of citizens to learn from history and that of the European Parliament to show it and reflect on it without taboos. “Only then,” he said, “we are capable to make informed decisions about our future in a democratic process.”
The exhibition, made up by selection of about 150 posters and other artefacts, is arranged in five thematic sections. When Walls Talk is also used as a learning tool for citizens and students. School workshops initiate primary schools into the milestones of European History while secondary school students have the opportunity to learn about European History via posters.
The exhibition will remain open to the public until Sunday, Nov. 13.