Celebrating Europe’s Rich Cultural Heritage
A deeply eclectic mosaic of traditions, languages, cuisines, architecture and landscapes, Europe cannot be confined to, or defined by, one cultural fit. Instead, centuries of history and customs have helped shape the varied breadth of culture throughout the continent, leading to the emergence of some of history’s most culturally relevant people and events.
Discovering Europe means discovering its wealth of culture and here at Blend Group we live and breathe the provision of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. As such, we’ve identified some of this summer’s cultural highlights across Europe.
Celebrations of art
Europe’s history of art is littered with influential and defining eras, from da Vinci and Micelangelo’s Renaissance and Rembrandt and Caravaggio’s Baroque periods, into the 20th century’s Romanticism and Impressionism epochs, through to the more modern movements of Cubism and Surrealism.
As a result, Europe’s arsenal of museums, galleries and cultural venues is second to none throughout the world and we’ve listed a few of our must-see exhibitions taking place this summer on the continent.
As the birthplace of so much of Europe’s culture, Paris is home to some of the world’s most revered art galleries and museums, such as the Louvre, l’Orangerie and the Centre Pompidou. However, it’s the Musée d’Orsay’s ‘Paris 1874: Inventing Impressionism’ exhibition that we’re so excited about this summer. Celebrating 150 years since the city’s first-ever impressionist exhibition, attendees can revel in the artistic genius of the likes of Monet, Renoir, Degas and Cezanne until mid-July.
Other exhibitions of note this summer include Roy Lichtenstein at The Albertina in the cultural powerhouse that is Vienna, as well as Florence’s ‘Anselm Kiefer: Fallen Angels’.
Get your fix of flowers
Throughout history, flower art has been used as a powerful way of expressing culture and artistry through picturesque and symbolic displays representing themes such as beauty, love and spirituality. The connection to these themes has been cemented by the prominence of floral arrangements at cultural ceremonies and festivals, such as weddings, while elaborate flower shows have emerged throughout Europe serving to captivate and inspire audiences from around the world.
Hosted annually by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in London since 1912, the Chelsea Flower Show is arguably the world’s most renowned celebration of flowers and gardens. Taking place between the 21st and 25th of May, environmentalism and sustainability remain at the heart of this year’s show, which promises a display of stunning horticultural excellence.
Elsewhere, Prague’s Open Gardens Weekend on the 8th and 9th of June gives attendees the opportunity to enjoy ordinarily inaccessible gardens in the City Palaces and Prague Gardens, while the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival in July presents eye-catching floral designs on the grounds of Henry VIII’s former palace.
Musical moments
An understanding of culture which omits music is an incomplete one. A universal language and an integral part of human and artistic expression throughout history, music has developed through the ages but remains timeless.
This summer, modern icons take the stage throughout Europe, mesmerising audiences in their thousands. Already well on the way into her record-breaking, generation-defining Eras Tour, Taylor Swift reaches European shores this week, as her European leg begins in Stockholm. From there she’ll play iconic venues including Madrid’s Bernabeu, Edinburgh’s Murrayfield, Liverpool’s Anfield and Milan’s San Siro, before finishing up with 5 nights in Wembley Stadium at the end of August.
Other icons including Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, Coldplay, Pink and the Foo Fighters take to the stages of Europe over the summer months, alongside all the usual must-visit festivals.
At Blend Group, we specialise in curating bespoke, once-in-a-lifetime experiences for our clients, including all travel and accommodation requirements. Please get in touch with us here if you’d like to enquire about a cultural European adventure this summer.
