Come with us! - Democratic Transformations in Central and Eastern Europe after 1989

12 November - 8 December 2025
Open on weekdays between 10.00 and 18.00 GMT.

Europe House - 12 Star Gallery
32 Smith Square
SW1P 3EU
London

It transports us back to a pivotal moment in European history-one that forever changed the fate of our continent. As we marked the 35th anniversary of the 1989 revolutions last year, the exhibition reflects on the profound political transformations that followed and celebrates the remarkable achievements born of that historic turning point. It brings together a unique display of political posters and iconic visuals with contributions from twelve countries-Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia-as perhaps never before.

The European Parliament pays tribute to the significant achievements of democratization in many ways. Several symbols of the 1989 revolutions are publicly displayed on its premises in Brussels, including two segments of the Berlin Wall. The Antall József Building was named after the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Hungary, and the Esplanade Solidarność commemorates the iconic opposition movement in Poland. The symbolic naming of one of the central lobbies after the Baltic Way pays tribute to the Baltic democratic movement. This exhibition draws attention to that pivotal moment in history and geography-what was achieved then, and what is at stake now, as war has returned to the European continent with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It serves as a powerful reminder of the shared values that unite us and the respect of democracy.

The exhibition is the product of the combined efforts of the European Parliament Liaison Office in the United Kingdom (EPLO UK) and the Liszt Institute - Hungarian Cultural Centre London, with the support of the European Union National Institutes for Culture London (EUNIC) and the contribution of its Members: the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Czech Centre London, the Embassy of Estonia in London, the Goethe-Institut London, the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, the Lithuanian Culture Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute in London, the Slovak Institute in London and the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The exhibition is also supported by the European Delegation of the European Union to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the contributing museums, archives, cultural institutions, and private individuals:

Bundesarchiv, Germany
Edition Staeck, Heidelberg, Germany
Estonian History Museum
Hanza Media, Croatia
Hungarian National Museum
Latvian National Museum of History
Moravian Gallery Brno, Czech Republic
Museum of the barricades of 1991, Latvia
National Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia
National Museum of Lithuania
Novi Kolektivizem Collection, Slovenia
Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom, Estonia
Visual archive of International Triennial of the Stage Poster, Bulgaria
Juraj Bartoš, Slovakia (author)
Jacek Marczewski, Poland (author)
Monika Sarnecka, Poland (relative of the author)

The exhibition is open on weekdays between 10.00 and 18.00. To enter Europe House, please ring the bell.