Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, President of the European Council, today opened the exhibition "The image of Europe" together with the Dutch designer Rem Koolhaas in a marquee on Vienna’s Heldenplatz square.
In his opening address, Chancellor Schüssel quoted Jean Monnet, one of the founding fathers of the present-day European Union. “Monnet said: 'If I could begin again, I would begin with culture.' These words make clear that, at the end of the day, Europe cannot be built solely on money, power or the acquis, but that Europe is much more. Europe is a vision of peace, Europe is also cooperation between its peoples on the basis of equality and team spirit."
Referring to Sunday’s Vienna Marathon which ended on the Heldenplatz, Schüssel stressed the many things sport, culture and the European identity have in common:
“The idea of peaceful competition, team spirit and the motivation that everybody can achieve something. That is common to culture and sport. This exhibition describes Europe’s great diversity throughout history", he said. The exhibition is housed in a marquee decorated in all the colours of the EU flags – like the Austrian Presidency logo.
Schüssel also mentioned an initiative of the Austrian Presidency for tomorrow’s Europe Day, ‘Café d´Europe’, which revives coffeehouse culture in 27 European coffeehouses. “In a way, Europe was invented in the coffeehouse. Coudenhove-Kalergi and many other great European thinkers put their ideas down on paper in coffeehouses. Tomorrow we hope to initiate an open, controversial debate on Europe.”
The exhibition “The image of Europe" is open daily until 2 July 2006 from 10.00 to 18.00 on Heldenplatz square in Vienna. Entrance is free. The exhibition consists primarily of two mural collages, which give an overview of the history of the European continent from the time of the dinosaurs to modern civilisation and present the history of the EU since the Second World War, as well as visions of the future of the Union. A special “Passport to Europe” serves as a guide to the exhibition.
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