On September 21, a special exhibition, “The Peace on Posters and the Posters on Peace”, will be opened by the Peace Palace Library and the municipality of The Hague as part of the Just Peace Festival. For this exhibition, a selection of the Library's poster collection will be displayed in a gallery in the Tram Tunnel of the city centre of The Hague. The Peace Palace Library holds a unique collection of posters relating to Peace; parts of it have a direct relationship with the Peace Movement starting in the early 20th century.
This movement consisted of internationalists and pacifists from all over the world, and statesmen and politicians also participated in the movement. The Peace Movement stood also at the basis of the Hague Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907, resulting in the opening of the Peace Palace in 1913, the temple for the peaceful settlement of international disputes. The Peace Palace Library has always been a principal inhabitant of the Peace Palace, the symbolic building of ‘Peace through Justice’.
The "Peace on Posters and the Posters on Peace” displayed first show the festivities of the opening of the Peace Palace in 1913 and the 2004 centenary poster reminds us of the $1,5 million gift of Andrew Carnegie which he donated to construct the temple for Arbitration and its Library. The Free Sea, an international law idea of Hugo de Groot, is twice shown on posters.
Another series mirrors various anti-war sentiments. It also highlights the significance of the establishment of a peaceful society, in which a population enjoys medical health institutions, safety and prosperity. The value of human rights and freedom and the importance of international political cooperation and the United Nations are depicted.
The posters on the European Recovery Plan (ERP) - also known as the Marshall Plan – focus on the financial aid for the reconstruction of Europe after the devastation of World War II. This aid helped to pave the road for peaceful relations between European countries.
Every year since 1982, September 21 is observed as the International Day of Peace or World Peace Day. No war, no violence. But humanitarian aid and peace education.
The exhibition will officially be opened on September 21 at 16.30 in The Hague Tram Tunnel (Beneath the crossroads Spui/Grote Markt/Kalvermarkt). The posters will be on display until November 28, 2016.