European Archive of Voices

The Idea

While the European idea is under attack, fewer and fewer eyewitnesses are there to tell the story of Europe in the 20th century. To preserve those stories, the “European Archive of Voices” collects the memories of individuals from all over Europe who were born in the first half of the 20th century – a wide array of activists, artists, lawyers, politicians, scientists, writers and many more. In their diversity, the biographies brought together aim to illustrate the rich, complex and polarised histories of Europe and that of the generation who rebuilt Europe after 1945.

The project conceives Europe as not only the member states of the European Union but also countries that belong to Europe geographically and historically. The interviews conducted span the whole continent – from Iceland to Italy and from Portugal to Ukraine.

Our team of young interviewers from across Europe has conducted 50 interviews to date, which we will be sharing over the coming months until the end of 2020, when the archive will be complete. 

Our Partners

We are grateful to a number of generous partners, who helped to make the “European Archive of Voices” possible.