Because I Don't Want to Be Forgotten in the Town Hall Eppingen: Rediscovering Poetry Albums
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A Delicate Archive of Friendship: Poetry Albums in the Gallery at the Town Hall
The exhibition “Because I Don't Want to Be Forgotten – Friendship Albums, Then and Now” introduces a quiet, surprisingly contemporary chapter of cultural history. In the historical setting of the Gallery at the Town Hall Eppingen, an art experience unfolds that connects personal memory, social rituals, and aesthetic experience. The focus on the poetry album reveals not only the charm of handwritten entries but also an art historical perspective on friendship, self-presentation, and preserving closeness across time and distance. The city of Eppingen confirms the exhibition period until January 15, 2027; admission is free. ([eppingen.de](https://www.eppingen.de/freizeit-kultur/veranstaltungskalender/1007/ausstellung-weil-ich-nicht-moecht-vergessen-sein/termin-14570?utm_source=openai))
From Album Amicorum to Friendship Book
The exhibition draws on a long tradition: the album amicorum, which served as a social memory medium as early as the Early Modern Period. Students, pupils, and later especially young people collected sayings, wishes, drawings, and pressed flowers there. From a simple writing practice emerged a sensitive cultural document that makes private and social relationships visible. In this tension between text, image, and handwriting lies the special appeal of the exhibition.
Aesthetics of the Small
Poetry albums are miniature worlds. Paper, ink, colored pencils, stickers, fine ornamentation, and calligraphic gestures tell of care, taste, and a sense of time. The contemplation of the works becomes a quest for traces: Which motifs were considered pretty, which formulas comforting, which wishes connective? It is precisely in this apparent privacy that a cultural shift becomes visible, ranging from courtly memory culture to today’s self-assurance.
A Museum Moment in the Town Hall
The Gallery in the Town Hall at the marketplace combines exhibition atmosphere with historical urban space. The presentation is accessible during the regular opening hours of the Town Hall; according to the city of Eppingen, it can be seen from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and on Thursdays from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. This provides interested cultural visitors with an easy access to a topic that resonates across generations. The official statement of the city also indicates that the visit is free of charge. ([eppingen.de](https://www.eppingen.de/freizeit-kultur/veranstaltungskalender/1006/eroeffnung-weil-ich-nicht-moecht-vergessen-sein/termin-14554?utm_source=openai))
Cultural Education and Memory Culture
The exhibition is ideally suited for cultural education because it takes everyday objects seriously and places them in a larger art and social historical context. It shows how remembering works, how friendship is shaped linguistically, and why handwritten testimonies deserve new attention in a digital present. Those who visit the exhibition discover not only nostalgic motifs but also a fine model of social communication.
Conclusion: This exhibition transforms the seemingly small medium of the poetry album into a major theme: identity, friendship, memory, and the beauty of handwritten culture. Anyone interested in art history, museum education, and the poetics of everyday life should definitely experience the Gallery at the Town Hall live. The exhibition runs until January 15, 2027, and invites a quiet, intense look at lived relationships. ([eppingen.de](https://www.eppingen.de/freizeit-kultur/veranstaltungskalender/1006/eroeffnung-weil-ich-nicht-moecht-vergessen-sein/termin-14554?utm_source=openai))
Official Channels of the City of Eppingen:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eppingen.de/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stadtverwaltung.eppingen/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stadteppingen1261
- Website: https://www.eppingen.de/
