The culture that connects Europe
Oktoberfest, stilettos or tea leaves—do Europeans have a common way to party, dress, or even look into the future? What hobbies, celebrations or beliefs do they share?
Google Arts & Culture has always been focused on making culture from all over the world accessible to people everywhere. Over the last seven years we’ve partnered with hundreds of European cultural institutions to bring their heritage online. Now we’ve brought together collections from across the continent—from masterpieces to iconic monuments to traditional costumes—all to celebrate the European Year of Cultural Heritage. This year-long initiative from the European Commission highlights European heritage and celebrates cultures across the continent.
Together we created “The culture that connects us,” a unique digital experience that lets everyone dive into centuries of European arts and culture, highlighting the stories, masterpieces and places that connect us beyond our national differences.
Tibor Navracsics, EU Commissioner for Education, Youth and Sport, says of the exhibit: “The European Year of Cultural Heritage in 2018 is a celebration that has already captured the imagination of more than 3.6 million people in 36 countries. I am delighted to see the support, interest and enthusiasm that the Year is generating. Its purpose is to encourage more people to come together to discover and experience Europe's rich cultural heritage. I hope that the launch of this video and project page today will inspire even more people—especially young people—to preserve our cultural heritage and use it as a basis to express their own creativity. After all, the future of our shared heritage is in the hands of the younger generations, as they are the guardians of this exceptional and irreplaceable wealth.”
Online exhibits from more than 800 cultural institutions, 2,900+ pieces of ultra-high resolution artwork, and 1,000 iconic locations captured in Street View offer a window into the diversity and richness of European culture. These exhibits reveal unexpected stories about street art festivals, fortune-telling and food in art history. Discover more Greek gods, the world's most famous kiss from Austria, and the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.
The exhibit is not only a visual experience. We challenged seven European YouTube creators to hunt for sounds that expressed their culture and their heritage. While Polish Krzysztof Gonciarz went for the typical “beep” of public transport, Jonna Jinton from Sweden performed a mesmerizing traditional herding call. The pop of a wine bottle and the crackle of bread came from French Revues du Monde, while Cane Secco collected the sound of buzzing Italian Piazza di Trevi. We combined this collection of sounds to form a single music track that encapsulates the sound of Europe.
We’re proud to have worked with the European Commission and our partners to highlight European heritage and celebrate the many cultures that thrive in Europe today. Find your connections during the European Year of Cultural Heritage at g.co/europeforculture.
