“With what awareness we look at our past, this also sharpens our view of the present and our visions for the future of Europe, for which responsibility needs to be taken,” said the President of the Europa-Forum Wachau Michael Linhart on Thursday afternoon as part of the 29th Europa-Forum Wachau. He was organized under the title “Facing Polarization – Embracing Dialogue“In cooperation with the working group of the Danube region region and the institute for the Danube region and Central Europe in the Lower Austria State Gallery in Krems.
The Danube Salon offered an interactive discussion with representatives from culture, science and politics in the usual way. Lukas MandlMember of the European Parliament, the event opened: “Helmut Kohl said that the visionaries are the real realists in history. And today’s challenges also need long -term visions beyond short -term solutions.” The mayor of the Czech city of Mikulov Petra Korlaar added that Europe is not only a home, but also a high value and at the same time a big task, namely to maintain dialogue and cooperation.
The Europa-Forum Wachau is traditionally the ideal platform for this. The interdisciplinary and international panel consisted of the head of the Department of Public History in the House of History Austria Stefan Benedik, the Ukrainian historian Svitlana Telukha and the scientist Malwina Talik as well as moderator and IDM director Sebastian Schäffer. The focus was on how historical experiences can beat bridges between social groups and to contribute to a common understanding of the past and a constructive handling of the future. The event gathered participants from science, culture, politics and civil society for an open exchange of ideas and perspectives from all over Europe. Among the participants were also interested young Europeans who had traveled in the course of a cooperation between Erasmus+ and the European Forum Wachau.
The event asked the central question in the room whether and how a culture of remembering can help to overcome social divisions and to promote dialogue in times of increasing polarization. As a special highlight, the guests were able to take part in Spotlight tours through the exhibitions “on the way. Travel to the collection” in the Landesgalerie Lower Austria and “Planet Pammesberger” in the Krems caricature museum.
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