Europe in pictures: Europe exhibition of the Mariengymnasium

Several courses at the Mariengymnasium European School are once again devoting themselves to the artistic design of European themes this year. The results will be exhibited in the media centre from 7 May and in the Stadtsparkasse from 11 May. A third part of the exhibition will open in June to mark the 160th anniversary of the Mariengymnasium.

The pupils mainly focus on the question: "What expectations, hopes, but also critical questions and fears do young people in NRW associate with the future of Europe?"

In order to prevent war in the future, the European Coal and Steel Community, or Coal and Steel Community for short, was founded 75 years ago as the forerunner of the EU. The coal and steel production of the six founding states - Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands - was placed under joint supervision in the hope that this would prevent any country from secretly arming itself and invading another.

This concept worked for 75 years. But now Europe is threatened by external dangers and could be drawn into international conflicts. Among many topics, the desire for peace and fears of war were at the forefront of the 108 pupils' brainstorming sessions. However, the pressure of opinion through social media and environmental protection were also interpreted artistically.

Artistic realisation of the topic

The teams supervised by art teacher Daglef Seeger consisted of two and five pupils, who worked together to develop an idea for an artistic object. To do this, they searched for a pictorial symbol, which they mostly realised three-dimensionally by covering a basic form made of wire mesh with papier-mâché and then painting and decorating it. Each work of art is accompanied by a text with background information and the story of its creation.

Exhibition venues and times

Media Centre: Opening on Thursday, 7 May at 12 noon. The exhibition can be viewed from 7 to 29 May 2026 during the regular opening hours of Bocholt City Library: Tuesday and Thursday from 10am-12pm and from 2pm-7pm, Wednesday and Friday from 10am-12pm and 2pm-6pm and Saturday from 10am-1pm.

Stadtsparkasse: Opening on Monday, 11 May at 5 pm. The exhibition can then be viewed until 29 May 2026 at the following times Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am-4.30pm, Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-6pm, Saturdays 9.30am-12.30pm

Mariengymnasium: The exhibition can be viewed from 22 to 27 June during the Mariengymnasium's anniversary week.

State funds Europe cheques and cooperation

The Europe exhibition "Europe in Pictures - 75 Years of European Unification" is supported by the state initiative Europe Cheques of the Minister for Federal and European Affairs, International Affairs and Media and Head of the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The exhibition is also supported by the Förderverein des Mariengymnasiums and accompanied by the city of Bocholt, the EUROPE DIRECT Bocholt, the Stadtsparkasse Bocholt and the Medienzentrum Bocholt.

About the EUROPE DIRECT Bocholt

EUROPE DIRECT Bocholt is part of the mayor's office of the city of Bocholt and is the local contact point for questions relating to the European Union. Its task is to provide local citizens with information, advice, help and answers to questions about Europe. In addition, EUROPE DIRECT Bocholt aims to promote European involvement and provide information on current European political events.