Last Friday we set out to visit the European capital Brussels.
Unfortunately, Deutsche Bahn threw a spanner in the works right at the start of the trip! Due to a delay, we had to cancel our first planned stop – the Council of the European Union.
Instead, we continued in the evening with a city tour of Brussels. The highlight of the tour was of course the Grand Place, the city’s central square, which is surrounded by impressive historical buildings. There is also currently a huge Christmas market there with lots of delicious offers. The obligatory Belgian fries were of course not to be missed at the end 🙂 It was interesting to learn that Brussels is not only the capital of Belgium, but also the de facto headquarters of the European Union. The tour guide explained the city’s role in European politics, which gave the experience an additional dimension.
The next day we went to the House of European History. The museum is located in a modern building directly opposite the European Parliament. As soon as you enter, you are greeted by the inviting atmosphere and the attractive architecture of the building. The exhibition itself is very well structured and offers a comprehensive overview of the history of Europe from antiquity to the present. I was particularly impressed by the interactive design of the exhibition. Our main topic was “democracy and its advantages” and the rising shift to the right in Europe. Interactive monitors made it easy to follow how fascism and authoritarian regimes had established themselves over the last few decades. In small groups, we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of democracy, what forms it takes and how democracy can be strengthened.
Afterwards, we visited the Jewish Museum and listened to a lecture by a Holocaust survivor. Amir Haberkorn spoke about the sad fate of his family, which is exemplary for many Jewish families from that time. He spoke about the escape of his family, who traveled hundreds of kilometers on foot and fortunately found asylum in Switzerland. The lecture was very emotional and gave us a lot to think about. At the end we had the opportunity to ask Mr Haberkorn questions, which he was happy to answer.
The next day started with a walking tour of the European Quarter of Brussels using the European Quarter Explorer app, and it was a fascinating and informative experience. The app is a great way to explore the main sights and institutions of this important area on your own. With just a few clicks you could start the route and immediately get information about the different points visited. The app offers a mix of text, images and audio, which made the experience very lively. The app also included interactive elements that allowed me to test my knowledge. At certain points there were quiz questions that were not only entertaining but also helped to consolidate what had been learned.
The last stop on our tour was the Banksy Museum. An absolute must for any street art fan! The walls are decorated with various artworks by Banksy, showing both his most famous pieces and lesser-known works. The exhibition is well structured and offers a mixture of original works, reproductions and multimedia installations that illustrate the philosophy and messages behind Banksy’s art. The information on the individual works of art was informative and well prepared. We were able to learn a lot about Banksy’s background, his inspirations and the social issues he addresses in his art. Topics such as war, consumerism, the environment and social injustice were impressively presented and gave us food for thought.
Finally, we went back to Wuppertal. THIS TIME WITHOUT DELAY 🙂
Overall, the weekend in Belgium was very informative and interesting. We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the participants!
Merci Beaucoup – Thank you – Dank je well
