On the occasion of EUROPALIA TRAINS & TRACKS, the House of European History launches Rail Recollections, an initiative that gives people the opportunity to share and discover personal stories related to the experience of travelling by train. A web page created for the occasion will gather the testimonies collected across Europe before and during the festival. The general public as well as artists participating in the festival will take part in the exercise. Discover how to participate here.

Watch the series of video interviews produced by the House of European History as part of Rail Recollections below.

In this interview, the Sicilian-born artist Beddru recounts his memories of train journeys across Italy, and how travel-related themes influence his work today.

In this interview, former train conductor turned poet Jan Ducheyne explains his experience of life ‘on the tracks’. He also previews his project The Last Train, part of EUROPALIA TRAINS & TRACKS.

In this interview, Marita Hebisch-Niemsch provides the backstory to an object she kindly lent to the House of European History's collection — a photo album from a Franco-German Youth exchange, where she met her French pen-pal following a long journey from Berlin to Évreux, France.

Laia, a cultural management professional from Barcelona, Spain shares her memories of train travel in Europe, and the lasting impression trips from across the continent have made on her.

Thomas, a project manager from the Netherlands discusses his favourite journey by train, and how travelling by train connects him with Europeans from a bygone era.

In this interview, Belgian poet Carl Norac describes the way trains deeply influence him, personally and professionally. He also talks about his residency on the Ostend-Eupen line, the only train line that crosses the entire country, as part of EUROPALIA TRAINS & TRACKS.

Marli Huijer is Emeritus Professor of Public Philosophy at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In this interview she discusses how meaningful train travels are for her life, and the extent to which they can foster a European sense of belonging. She also outlines her role in society as a public philosopher, and previews her lecture on trains as a meeting space between Europeans, as part of the EUROPALIA TRAINS & TRACKS programme.