Fascinated with works of Sigmund Freud, Stefan Zweig (1881-1942) was an Austrian novelist, playwright, biographer and one of the most popular writers of the 1920s. Protesting against Hitlerism, together with his wife he left Europe and moved to Brazil. Depressed about the situation on the old continent, the pair committed suicide in 1942. Zweig saw Europe as a lasting community of culture and values.
With his ideology of ‘Gaullism’, Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) fought in World War I, but went into exile during World War II, leading the Free French from London. In 1959 he became the first president of the Fifth Republic. He supported the idea of a Free United Europe and built Franco-German cooperation, the cornerstone of the European Economic Community.
Six hours of training per day, incredible talent and lots of self-confidence all paid off for Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci (born 1961). She was the first gymnast in history to score the ‘perfect 10’ at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, proving that perfection can be achieved through persistence. Comaneci, a five-time Olympic gold medallist, is now a passionate leader of a gymnastic academy for teenagers.
As a declared pacifist, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), a Spanish painter, sculptor, poet and playwright, documented the most brutal conflicts of his times: The Spanish Civil War (Guernica), the horrors of World War II (Death’s Head) and the Korean War (Massacre In Korea). His abstract experiments with form gave birth to an entirely new Cubist movement. He is now considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
Praised for exemplifying the multicultural face of contemporary Belgium, Paul van Haver, alias Stromae, (born 1985) is a Belgian rapper and songwriter with Rwandan roots. He combines hip-hop and electronic music with lyrics that touch upon such topics as growing up without a father, gaining a sense of identity and belonging, and the problem of HIV. He is now one of the most popular Belgian artists worldwide. Winner of the European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA) in 2011.
The 16 years that Altiero Spinelli (1907-86) spent imprisoned by Italian fascists did not break his spirit. From the island prison, the bold communist became the ‘prophet’ or ‘godfather’ of the EU, influencing many major treaties. The MEP’s dream of a superstate began to take shape after the Second World War, when he created a European federalist movement in Italy.
Visceral, extravagant and transcendent, seven of architect Antoni Gaudí i Cornet’s (1852-1926) works are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Raised in Barcelona, work on the Catalan Modernist’s imposing Sagrada Família cathedral is still unfinished. Be they asymmetrical facades or mosaic-encrusted parks, his work is both personal and eclectic.
Influenced by Bach and Mozart, the 19th century Romantic composer Fryderyk Chopin (1810-49) was a virtuoso pianist - emotive, delicate and technically complex in his reinvention of traditional folk music in the mazurkas, and in his piano miniatures in the Nocturnes. His music reflected his patriotism for occupied Poland, particularly in his famous ‘Revolutionary Étude’.
Chancellor between 1982 and 1998, Helmut Kohl’s (1930-2017) main legacy is the Maastricht Treaty of 1992, which replaced the European Economic Community with the EU, and the euro. During his time as Chancellor, the Berlin Wall fell and the Cold War ended, making him a key figure of German reunification. Helmut Kohl was bestowed Honorary Citizenship of Europe and was well known for his continuous efforts to propose ever better ways on how to take Europe forward.
Maria Callas (1923-77), one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century, is still classical music’s best-selling soprano. Her vocal abilities revived opera works long dropped from repertoires. Her temperament, dramatic versatility and devotion to art contributed to her image as “La Divina”.
