Michael Andersen MARE BALTICUM – REFLECTIONS IN THE WAKE OF AN EXHIBITION “MARE BALTICUM – THE BALTIC SEA – 1000 YEARS OF MYTH, HISTORY AND ART”. THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF DENMARK SEPTEMBER 2002 – JANUARY 2003. The old Romans spoke about “Mare Nostrum”. That by its nature situated at the gate of the Baltic with was one of the names used for the Mediterranean Sea, control over the strategically important gateways: The a sea completely included in the Roman Empire. Danish Belts and The Sound. This strategic situation All people, who live around The Baltic Sea, Mare has determined Danish policies and Danish history Balticum, can call it theirs with exactly the same right for centuries. as the Romans. As Danes, for instance, we need only The history of the Baltic Region is characterised have a look at the map of Denmark to be convinced, by a number of features that keep returning: they are how almost all Danish ports pointed, historically, the efforts by the strongest power to turn the Baltic towards the Baltic region. into a closed sea; in Latin we could call it the “Mare So power over the Baltic has always been the key to Clausum”. The idea is to keep rivalling powers out, for dominance in our part of Europe. During the Middle example by controlling the Danish straits. Ages Denmark gained the status as regional power In contrast we have the efforts of the other Baltic through a number of luckily undertaken conquests and powers and of the Western European powers to create crusades south and east of the Baltic – it is often dif- a “Mare Liberum”, a free Baltic sea, by keeping the ficult to tell the difference – most of them dating back Danish straits open. to the 12th and 13th centuries. When the Middle Ages The main objective for the great powers of the ended Sweden started to gain power and during the Baltic Sea has through the centuries been to create 17th century Sweden was the dominator on the Baltic. a “Dominium Maris Baltici”. It means to create and Later on during the 18th century Russia took over. Thus maintain a command over the Baltic Sea and thus was the shifting power game between the nations. most of the Baltic Region. This “dominium Maris Most of us will be willing to confirm how our Baltici” has changed through the centuries. individual perception of the Baltic was influenced by The exhibition “Mare Balticum – The Baltic – Myth, the Cold War. Winston Churchill gave the name to the History and Art through 1000 Years”, was a concept Iron Curtain, which led from Trieste to the Baltic and developed by the German historian Marie-Louise in fact all the way across the Baltic Sea from south to von Plessen. It was shown at the National Museum north. Due to that invisible, but still most substantial of Denmark in Copenhagen from September 2002 to border our knowledge of the places “on the other side” January 2003 and was based on this story, but it was was quite limited, which of course applies to the east our clear intent to give it a wider perspective. A special as well as to the west. occasion formed the background for the project, as the The radical changes in Central and Eastern Europe exhibition was part of the official programme during in 1989 meant that borders and especially barriers were the Danish presidency over the European Union. As torn down – a development that will only accelarate you all know the enlargement of the union had top now that the enlargement of the European Union priority on the agenda. Four new members from the with Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia has been Baltic region will, in due course, enter the EU: Poland, decided. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The Baltic Sea has the chance for regaining its The exhibition told the story of a region from position as the main hub, the pivotal point, between around 1000 to the present day. And as the present day a number of regional centres. The Baltic itself is actu- is not really the business of historians and definitely ally placed almost in the centre of Europe. This may not of archaeologists, we invited 18 artists to contrib- come as a surprise to many of us, but the geografical ute, showing their point of view. As the landmark centre of Europe is actually to be found in Lithuania. of the exhibition – or should we rather say seamark In many ways we all need to look at our common – a ship was chosen. Without ships no Baltic com- “Mare Nostrum” with fresh eyes. munication. Even today only very few would endure In Denmark fresh eyes are very much needed the tiresome journey by road round the Baltic Sea. Too indeed, as historians and archaeologists through the narrow roads and too much waiting at the borders. The past generations have been far too focused on Western ship was a creation, eight metres long, by the Polish Europe, although the key to Danish history must be artist Robert Rumas. It was a construction basically found in the east. Why is that so? Well, Denmark is made from neon tubes in the shape of a boat floating 22 Entrance to the exhibition: a conscious decision was taken to The Danish island of Bornholm was the only place to successfully divide the exhibition into 28 sections relating to specific fortresses defend itself against Sweden during the battles that took place from and fortified cities rather than countries. In this way visitors were the mid 16th century to the mid 17th century in Danish areas east able to acquire an idea of the history of the Baltic area as well as of the sound. its geography. Jan Svennungsson’s “Psyko-mapping Scandinavia” in the “One for All, All for One” was the name for the installation exhibition “Mare Balticum” consisted of 66 maps. made by the Polish artist Robert Rumas in the exhibition “Mare Balticum”. Lübeck – one of the important Hanseatic trading centres. The Lithuanian artist, Deimantas Narcevicius, made a 16mm film for the exhibition. It describes a voyage from the Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius to the centre of Europe – a few kilometres from the capital. It proved to be a real eye-opener to visitors whose conception of the “centre of Europe” was quite different to the Photos The National Museum of Denmark. reality. 23 through the exhibition hall with all its installations Some historians believe that Jomsborg and Wolin forming a tail in its wake: a beautiful creation and are equivalent to the mythological town of Vineta. a symbol of all Baltic ships, past and present. The exhibition title actually mentioned a “myth of the There were artists from all the countries around Baltic”, and this is it. The Vineta myth is hardly known the Baltic, but none of them actually represented in Denmark. I do not know how it is in other Baltic their home states in a national manner. They were countries – apart from Germany where the myth is representatives of Baltic art. This is essential both for widely known as the myth of the Baltic. In Germany, the idea of the exhibition in Copenhagen and for especially during the 18th and 19th centuries many the understanding of Baltic history. You should be works of art were created based on the myth of very careful focusing specifically on Danish history, Vineta. There are paintings, poetry and even a Vineta Swedish, German, Polish history and so on, because symphony. of the shifting powers. Scania in present day southern According to the myth Vineta was a prosperous Sweden was an integrated part of Denmark until trading point at the mouth of the River Oder, but like the mid 17th century, Karelia was Swedish, Russian, some Atlantis it sank into the sea many centuries ago. Finnish and now partly Russian again. And what Was there really a Vineta? Or is it just a good story? No about Gdańsk; the city’s complicated history is of one really knows. You will have to decide for yourself. course well known. The “Dominium Maris Baltici” Many maps from the Renaissance and later indicate has changed, but the region as such is still the same. the place where Vineta was engulfed by the waves. For The historical part of the exhibition presented 28 the last two centuries cartographers have refrained castles and fortified towns and cities around the Baltic from placing Vineta on the map. If you ask me, I will inserted like a backbone into the surrounding works answer that Vineta reflects the needs for a myth and of art. The idea was not to tell the whole story of each a mythical past. In the same way as the peoples of the place. That would have been impossible. Neither was it Mediterranean had their Atlantis, we up in the north our aim to focus on military history. The fortresses have – or should we rather say in the centre of Europe always served as landmarks along the Baltic coast, and – wanted our myth as well. By means of the myth we the idea was to send the exhibition guests on a virtual can demonstrate that we, too, are ancient cultures. journey along the coasts of the Baltic. They would not Realizing that his life was threatened, King Harold get the full story of any of the places, but after having Bluetooth sought refuge in Jomsborg. And there he visited them all the guests would have aquired a really died. He was said to have been buried in Roskilde good idea of the history of the region with its shifting on the island of Sealand – at any rate that was what powers and different peoples.