OUR COMMON HERITAGE

1 st traveling exhibition on the shared history of the cross-border territory of the Greater Region, the birthplace of the European construction (Belgium, The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Germany, France)

As part of the ambitious and unifying “Land of Memory” project, the traveling exhibition Our Common Heritage takes an original and completely unseen approach to the history lived in the cross-border territories of the Greater Region*, which still influences the current geopolitical situation.
Our Common Heritage is travelling throughout the Greater Region to present an historical retrospective of photography from before the First World War to the creation of present-day Europe.

*Greater Region includes the provinces of Luxembourg and Liege in Belgium, Meuse Lorraine in the Grand Est region in France, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Saarland and the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. The Greater Region covers an area of 65,401 square meters which is crossed by 250,000 cross-border commuters every day.

5 GIANT ALBUMS AND AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

In order to show and to help understand the reality as it was lived by the inhabitants of these territories, the exhibition is based on photo albums that will bear witness to the civilian and military life in times of war and peace. A preliminary collection from the local population has made it possible to include images and other personal archival documents, lending an intimate dimension to this exhibition.

THE PHOTO ALBUMS constitute the heart of the exhibit and are organized AROUND A CONTAINER which offers a spectacular and immersive dimension to this project thanks to a visual and sound path recalling the historical periods evoked :

• Album 1 : Pre-World War I : from the beginning of the 20th century to the outbreak of war in August 1914.

• Album 2 : World War I: from August 4^th, 1914 to the Armistice on November 11^th, 1918.

• Album 3 : Between the World Wars: from November 11^th, 1918 to September 1^st, 1939 (invasion of Poland by the German army).

• Album 4 : World War II: from September 1^st, 1939 to May 8^th, 1945 (capitulation of Germany).

• Album 5 : Post-World War II and the beginning of the European Construction: from May 8^th, 1945 to April 18^th, 1951 (signature of the ECSC European Treaty).

Reminder of the founding principles of the European construction 

Like a real gateway to all the historical sites in the Land of Memory territories, Our Common Heritage is an educational tool to explain to young people how history helps to better understand the present time and the challenges of a shared memory.

Provisional program – dates subject to change