01-28.04.2025 Exhibition "The Founding Mothers and Fathers of the European Union" Piove di Sacco

From 1 to 28 April 2025, the exhibition "The founding Mothers and Fathers of the European Union" is held, organized by Europe Direct Venezia Veneto of the Municipality of Venice in collaboration with the Province of Padua.

The exhibition is an exhibition itinerary made up of twenty-two panels in Italian and English which illustrate the figures of women and men who have contributed, with their constant commitment, to transforming the European Union from a dream into reality.

The Europe Direct Venezia Veneto service, an information point of 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.

It was possible for citizens to visit the exhibition with free entry from Monday to Saturday from 8.00 to 12.00 at Palazzo Jappelli in Piazza Giacomo Matteotti, 1. The inauguration is held on 1 April 2025 at 12.00 in the presence of the authorities.

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 would not be able to live in the context of peace and stability that we take for granted today. Resistance fighters or lawyers and parliamentarians, the EU pioneers were a diverse group of people driven 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 make it happen.

- 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 underlying theme of the exhibition is the belief 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 is divided into 21 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.