The Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre, that opened in Moscow 2012, is said to be the largest Jewish museum in the world. It is housed in the restored Bahmetevsky bus garage, originally designed by Konstantin Melnikov, a leading light of the avant-garde in the 1920s. Melnikov was associated with the Constructivists but refused to be … Continue reading The Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre in Moscow – the largest Jewish museum in the world?
Author: eithnenight
Meeting new friends at the Novodevichy Cemetery
I peer through the dusty window of the information kiosk inside the entrance to the Novodevichy cemetery. A sole pamphlet in English promises to reveal the names of those who lie in one of Moscow’s most prestigious resting places. But the kiosk is locked, there is no one in sight and the guards are unhelpful. … Continue reading Meeting new friends at the Novodevichy Cemetery
The Magnificent Moscow Metro
“Don’t go on the Moscow Metro on your own, “ says Artem, my Russian friend living in Luxembourg. “Best to go with a friend.” But I have a two-hour gap on a Sunday morning when my reveler friends are sleeping in. The Monday rush hour, carrying 8 – 9 million passengers between 194 stations, is … Continue reading The Magnificent Moscow Metro
Braving the waves on the Red Star Line
I walk past shadowy figures muttering a cacophony of words that I can barely understand. They are carrying bundles of sparse possessions they will take with them to the New World. But it is the large photo at the end of the corridor that catches my eye. A group of emigrants, dressed in massive coats … Continue reading Braving the waves on the Red Star Line
Antwerp in the World: The World in Antwerp
A cluster of dockyard cranes bow down to a magnificent Cubist tower of Indian red sandstone interlaced with swathes of curved glass. This is MAS, the Museum Ann De Stroom (Museum on the River) in Antwerp. It stands 60 metres high between the ziggurat roofs of the historic centre and the industrial sprawl of the … Continue reading Antwerp in the World: The World in Antwerp
Luxembourg’s Ellis Island in Dudelange
We stand on the summit of a hill in sweltering heat. “This is our Ellis island,” says Nicolas flourishing his hand across the landscape. “It’s where migrants first came to Luxembourg and, indeed, still come.” But instead of Atlantic waves lapping beneath our feet railway tracks, bordered by disused steelworks, sweep towards France. And, across … Continue reading Luxembourg’s Ellis Island in Dudelange
What’s in a building? – migrants across the Channel in the National Museum of Immigration History (Paris, France)
Whoever thought of siting the Cite National de l’Histoire de l’Immigration (National Museum of Immigration History – CNHI, Paris) in the former Palace of the Colonies posed a challenge for the curators. It is undoubtedly an impressive Art Deco building from the 1930s. Intricate naked or half naked stone figures, working cocoa, coffee, cotton or … Continue reading What’s in a building? – migrants across the Channel in the National Museum of Immigration History (Paris, France)
Lovely Lampedusa and PortoM – M for Mediterranean, Migration, Memory or Militarisation?
A mural of faces in different hues of blue, green, red, yellow and white painted by Amnesty. Abandoned boats, on spare ground overlooking the port – three from Libya and two from Tunisia. A cluster of coastguard boats nestled against the harbour wall, designed to rescue people more easily from the sea. In the distance … Continue reading Lovely Lampedusa and PortoM – M for Mediterranean, Migration, Memory or Militarisation?
Palermo en route to?
My B&B is along Via Alloro, a narrow street in Palermo’s medieval quarter that winds towards the port. The room is lovely. From my balcony I can almost touch the walls of the palazzo opposite My welcoming host marks on a map the best places for street food, the gallery of Sicilian medieval art at … Continue reading Palermo en route to?
Exile to and flight from Calabria
It sounds so intriguing. A museum in a former dairy farm fitted out like the interior of an ocean liner in a remote part of Calabria in southern Italy. The curator is Gian Antonio Stella, columnist for the Corriere della Sella, well known for his writings on migration and his book, L’Orda, the Horde. La … Continue reading Exile to and flight from Calabria
Eithne Nightingale 