A together Europe: My House of European History
Updated: Jan 25, 2022
On the 13 December 2021, Europa Nostra held an open webinar with the team at My House of European History. We were joined by 17 participants from across Europe to discuss this wonderful project that promotes togetherness and how Europa Nostra members can get involved. If you would like to find out more about My House of European History, then have a look at the project summary below. If you would like to submit a story to the collection, please do so here: https://my-european-history.ep.eu/myhouse/timeline
Make your story a part of history!
What connects Elza, Renata, Georg, Giulia and Ingrid?
Where do people with backgrounds as diverse as theirs, who come from all over Europe and even the world, meet?
How do their voices, some from long ago and others from the recent past, reach us today?
Their rich and varied tales all come together at My House of European History: a unique collaborative project where History and the lives of European citizens coincide.
A virtual collection of European stories
My House of European History (MyHEH) is a collaborative multilingual initiative of the Translation Service of the European Parliament. By collecting and publishing people’s stories in 24 languages, MyHEH seeks to create a virtual collection of testimonies about Europe from people around the world.
The MyHEH platform already hosts more than 780 genuine stories, covering the period from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. These stories encompass family history, glimpses of daily life in different European countries, and memories connected to historical events. They include cross-border experiences of people travelling, studying, or working away from home. They also include current experiences, such as stories about the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
MyHEH focuses solely on people and their stories, and is not a presentation or promotion of the activities of the European Parliament. The European Parliament acts as a facilitator, promoting communication between European citizens in the hope that this will foster a sense of togetherness.
Beyond the written testimonies
A series of podcasts are produced from the written testimonies that are submitted to the MyHEH platform. The stories that are selected for audio adaptation often resonate strongly with historical milestones of the 20th century or explore the concept of European identity. These podcasts are made available in the 24 official EU languages and published on the MyHEH Platform and through other outlets.
Here are some examples of our podcasts:
Testimonies from Auschwitz
They always called us by number, never by name: a survivor’s story. Elza Mavrič Kumar.
75th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz Concentration Camp: The testimony of Liliana Segre.
75th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp: Katarina’s story
75th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz Concentration Camp: Serge Klarsfeld.
75th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp: Maria’s story
Europe in Our Lives
RadUni and Europhonica. Winner of the Charlemagne Youth Prize 2019.
‘Our school demos for Europe was a forerunner of Fridays for Future!’ Georg Helg.
70th Anniversary of the Schuman Declaration.
I witnessed the birth of Europe Interview with Paul Collowald (Part 1)
Europe in Family History
Love, war and family: keeping my grandparents’ story alive. Renata Błażowska.
We are all stars under the same sky. Andrea Quintavalle.
European Identity
“What does it mean to be Dutch?” — A quest through history for one’s own identity. Ingrid
de Hass.
Five British Voices. Andrew, Alex, Anne, Amy & Alice.
A collaborative project accessible to all
Since MyHEH was launched in 2017, a number of important academic and memory institutions in Europe have keenly supported its mission by creating and publishing historical narratives and rare archival material on the MyHEH website. These include the Historical Archives of the European Parliament, the National Archives of Malta, the Tower Museum in Northern Ireland, the University of Heidelberg in Germany, the project “100 Jahre Burgenland - Zeitsprünge” in Austria and the Institute of Intercultural Management and Communication in France.
MyHEH partners include Ouest-France, Collège des Bernardins and ARTE in France, the Gazeta Wyborcza in Poland, and the House of European History of the European Parliament.
My House of European History will continue to expand and reach an even larger audience. It aims to become even more collaborative and dynamic in its mission to shed light on moments of European history through providing a platform for people’s voices.
Start sharing your stories now!
Create your account here: https://my-european-history.ep.eu/myhouse/timeline
