Museum Europäischer Kulturen

Within the overall organization of the National Museums in Berlin, the Museum of European Cultures is the institution responsible for posing questions about the daily life and lifeworld of individuals, as seen within the wider context of the cultural and contemporary history of Europe.

One of the museum’s subsequent aims is therefore to engage in the discussion on ‘culture contacts’. Through exhibitions, events and the formation of cooperation networks, the museum has firmly established itself among its European partners as a place of intercultural interaction. And, as a cultural-historical institution, it sees itself as an observer of current social and intercultural processes, such as in the field of migration research, as well as a place of international specialist discourse in the area of textile sciences, the history of photography and the broad field of popular visual cultures.

Over the course of the last few years, several further exhibitions, each accompanied by a series of events, have been organized on these topics. Among them, the programme of events entitled the ‘Month of Culture in the Museum of European Cultures’ forms a particular highlight and has been held every year since 2000. During the ‘Month of Culture’ a particular European region or group of people from Europe is presented to the public under a certain topic. The ‘Month of Culture’ lasts from between two to four weeks and comprises a small exhibition and a programme of events. These events always take place at various European cultural institutes, associations and embassies in Berlin, often with the participation of the partner institutions in each of the respective European countries involved.

Following on from the scholarly tradition of the then Museum for Folklore, the Museum of European Cultures also continues to engage itself with the daily culture of its own society, seen within a European context – posing such questions as who is part of our own society and who is not.
The issue of ‘migration’ thus also plays a foremost role in exhibitions and events. One core aspect to the museum’s public image and ambit is provided by various exhibitions held as part of the Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage’s Federal Programme which are loaned out to other museums, not just in the Federal Republic of Germany, but in neighbouring countries as well. Bilateral exhibitions with Poland, Hungary, Austria and Romania as well as close network ties with France, Belgium, Italy, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Great Britain, the United States and Sweden all form a focal point in the running of the museum.

But above all, the museum’s principal task is that of maintaining both the collections it has been able to amass and the building itself in which it is housed. Many objects originate from the religious settings of people in Europe in the 19th and 20th century. Several of such pieces can be viewed in exhibitions held at Easter or Christmas, which are each accompanied at weekends by handicraft markets, where high quality items from a range of European regions are placed on sale. Items such as these as well as many collector’s items are the result of the creative talents of individuals or even groups of individuals and are placed on view for the ‘edification and education’ of the general public under a particular chosen topic of cultural-historical importance. The museum therefore also recognizes its special task of promoting creativity and handicraft skills under its motto: ‘Hold On’. And in keeping with this goal, courses are offered to children and artist workshops to adults, which give people the chance to learn more about various traditional and modern techniques using original display material taken from the museum.