05.05.2023 Inauguration Exhibition - The Founding Mothers and Fathers of the European Union - Venice

The exhibition is dedicated to the 8 women and 13 men - visionary leaders - who inspired the creation of the European Union we live in today.
Without their commitment and motivation, we could not live in the context of peace and stability that we take for granted today. Resistance fighters or lawyers and parliamentarians, the pioneers of the EU were a diverse group of people moved by the same ideals: peace, unity and prosperity in Europe.
In addition to the pioneers presented below, many others inspired the European project and worked tirelessly to realize it.

- The Founding Mothers:    

Marga Klompé,
Nilde Iotti,
Anna Lindh,
Melina Mercouri,
Nicole Fontaine,
Ursula Hirschmann,
Louise Weiss,
Simone Veil

- Founding Fathers: 

Konrad Adenauer,
Joseph Bech,
Johan Willem Beyen,
Winston Churchill,
Alcide De Gasperi,
Walter Hallstein,
Sicco Mansholt,
Jean Monnet,
Robert Schuman,
Paul-Henri Spaak,
Altiero Spinelli,
Helmut Kohl,
François Mitterand

A common thread running through the exhibition is the conviction of these men and women that the peoples of Europe, while remaining proud of their national identity and history, were determined to overcome ancient divisions and build their common destiny together. The exhibition consists of 21 panels and combines drawings and photographs with a series of bilingual texts, written in Italian and English, in order to reach national and international audiences.

Visit the official page of the European Commission