Shaping the future with knowledge of the past - Hermann Parzinger on the "Expedition Future" exhibition train
Press release from 04/23/2009
Today, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel will open the "Expedition Future" exhibition train in Berlin. Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, answers the question of why we are researching and preserving evidence of past cultures in carriage 11, which is dedicated to the future of mankind under the motto "natural+artificial". "Especially in a globalised world, there is great interest in learning more about history and culture - and not just about our own roots, but also about those of other cultures," he says in his video statement. For the archaeologist, it goes without saying that the future can only be meaningfully shaped with knowledge of the past. "We live in a multicultural society. It is important to get to know the history and culture of the people who characterise our cities as migrants. With the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation will make a significant contribution to understanding the cultures of the world."
Tomorrow, the special train "Expedition Future" with the science exhibition organised by the Max Planck Society will begin its tour of Germany in Berlin. It will stop in more than 60 cities for three days each until it returns to Berlin from 22 to 24 November 2009. The mobile exhibition is part of the "Science Year 2009 - Research Expedition Germany" and is sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
More information can be found on the "Expedition Zukunft" exhibition website and on the Science Year 2009 website.