Invitation to the Press Conference

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press,

We are pleased to invite you to the Press Conference of the exhibition
“What is Enlightenment? Questions for the 18th Century”
on Wednesday, 16 October 2024 at 11 am
in the Pei Building (ground floor, Auditorium) of the Deutsches Historisches Museum.

Presenting the exhibition are:
Raphael Gross, President of the Stiftung Deutsches Historisches Museum
Liliane Weissberg, Curator of the exhibition
Dorlis Blume, Project head of the exhibition
Brigitte Vogel-Janotta, Project head of the Outreach and inclusive educational programme “Enlightenment NOW”

It is possible to view the exhibition from 10 am in the Pei Building (upper floors 1 and 2). After the press conference the young people who participated in the programme “Enlightenment NOW” will be present from 12 noon on to speak with you and answer your questions.
 

“What is Enlightenment?” asked the Berlin pastor Johann Friedrich Zöllner in 1783 in an article for the Berliner Monatsschrift. The magazine took up the question and passed it on to its readers. Thus began a debate about the term that was to leave its mark on the history of philosophy and to inspire Moses Mendelssohn, Immanual Kant and other thinkers of the time to contribute responses that became famous. From 18 October 2024 to 6 April 2025 the Deutsches Historisches Museum devotes an extensive exhibition to the question of the essence of Enlightenment and poses further “Questions for the 18^th Century” that have been inspired by it.

In current sociopolitical discussions, the universal values of the Enlightenment are often cited or questioned as to the range of their impact. At the same time, the contradictions of that epoch have influenced our current thoughts and actions. The exhibition “What is Enlightenment? Questions for the 18th Century” creates a historical framework for the debates of our time: It concentrates on the central controversies of the epoch and sheds light on its ambivalences by presenting the ideas of the Enlightenment not as a homogenous progressive project, but by revealing the conflicts about its concepts and demands. In this way it becomes clear that the ideas of equality or tolerance of that epoch are not the same as our own thoughts on these topics and were often not put into practice.

The inclusive exhibition on two floors of the Pei Building focuses on the essential questions of the so-called long 18^th century as seen in an international perspective. The spectrum of topics ranges from the search for knowledge and the emergence of new sciences and principles of order to questions of religion, equality, and liberty of the people as well as the demand for civil rights, and continues on to the the topic of the development of mercantilism and cosmopolitanism. The exhibition deals with the political and economic models of the time and the new concept of the public sphere, which includes the popular publication media, the academies and the salons. Other sections are devoted to the great importance of pedagogy and the emergence of the modern individual, trace the prevalent gender models, and examine how the modern age rediscovered antiquity. The exhibition draws parallels between the 18^th century and the present time. In video interviews, prominent figures from the fields of science, culture and the media address the question of “What remains?”.

“Enlightenment NOW”: In the framework of the exhibition, the DHM – supported by the German Federal Cultural Foundation – has been working on a broad basis with young people from Berlin and with inclusive school classes in Berlin and Brandenburg. The aim of this cooperation is to gain further understanding of the perspectives of the participants through workshops and months of working together and in this way to integrate them into the exhibition and its various programmes. With the project the DHM aims to break down the barriers that exist towards the institution museum and to invite a young, diverse group of people to participate and help shape the museum’s activities.

Please pay attention to the following guidelines and the registration form:

• The press conference on 16 October takes place only within the time slot of 10 am (start of accreditation and preview of the exhibition) to 2 pm.
• The seating capacity in the auditorium (ground floor, Pei Building) is limited. We request you to register for the press conference. Non-accreditied persons can only participate if room is still available.
• Individual interviews/filming are subsequently possible after prior application at presse@dhm.de.
   

Please send personal accreditation requests at the latest by 5 pm on Tuesday, 15 October 2024, to: https://www.dhm.de/en/accreditation-for-the-press-conference-enlightenment/

You can find an initial selection of photos and extensive press information on the DHM Website.