Spaces for Shaping the Nation: National Museums and National Galleries in 19th Century Europe

National museums and national galleries played an important role in the nation-building processes of the 19th century. As spaces of knowledge, they educated the population and contributed to shaping the nation. In this context, it was important to convey the nation's history, for example by decorating the rooms with picture cycles showing important historical events, exhibiting associated objects, and creating period rooms to give a specific impression of the past. The contributors to this volume examine the various possibilities of museum education exploring examples from Denmark, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland.