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Pieces from the Collection of the Museum of Transport Appearing in Brussel House of European History

The House of European History opened on 6th May in Brussels and introduces the history of Europe. The goal of the exhibition is to prompt the audience to argue, to ask questions and to think about European history by introducing the history of the continent from the myths and the discoveries, to the chaos and cohesion of the 20th century. 

The impressive permanent exhibition guides the visitors through the history of Europe with the help of more than a thousand objects. The Hungarian Museum of Technology and Transport is one of the partner institutions, which cooperated in the birth of the exhibition by lending objects and offering professional support.

In order to make visitors better understand the stormy events of the 20th century, the exhibition first lists the ideas and beliefs of the 19th century, which is considered to be the dawn of Modern Times. Developments implemented in the field of transportation fit this idea, such as the spread of steam vehicles and the emergence of urban transport throughout Europe. Relating to this history of development, the Museum of Transport is present in the exhibition of the European capital with several pieces: a 1:10 mock-up of the N375 steam locomotive of MÁV, a station sign of the Electric Road Railway of Pécs, and a pocket watch displaying a steam locomotive.  The mock-up of the rail vehicle, which was produced in a great number, represents the Hungarian steam locomotive production of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In the first half of the 20th century, the steam locomotive, which was considered to be the bulk of the Hungarian railway, operated on the side railways and was capable of backward movement. The station sign symbolizes the boom of urban transportation, which was characteristic of rural cities as well in the end of the 1800s. The railway pocket watch, the clock face of which presents a locomotive, symbolizes the punctuality of measuring time and the growing importance it plays in transportation and in the systems of transport.

Exhibitions, multimedia-guided collections, educational materials, workshops, and seminars of the House of European History raise questions about the history of Europe and about the picture we own about its contemporary heritage.