19.03-07.04.2024 Exhibition "The Founding Mothers and Fathers of the European Union"- Padua

From 19 March to 7 April 2024 the exhibition "The Founding Mothers and Fathers of the European Union" was held, organised by Europe Direct Venezia Veneto of the Municipality of Venice in collaboration with Europe Direct of the Municipality of Padua.

The exhibition consists of twenty-two panels in Italian and English illustrating the figures of women and men who contributed, with their constant commitment, to transforming the European Union from a dream into reality.

The Europe Direct Venezia Veneto service, an information point for the European Union active in the Veneto region, offers the educational exhibition "The Founding Mothers and Fathers of the European Union", based on official documentation from the European Commission.

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 realise it.

- The Founding Mothers:    

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

- The 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

The leitmotif of 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 22 panels and combines drawings and photographs with a series of bilingual texts, written in Italian and English, in order to reach a national and international audience.

Some images from the exhibition:

Visit the official page of the European Commission