The History of the World Exposition : Germany

World Expositions have a long, rich tradition: Nearly 150 years will lie between the first “Great Exhibition” held in London’s Crystal Palace in 1851 and EXPO 2000 in Hanover. 61 World Expositions have been held thus far in 13 different countries, especially in the United States, Belgium, England and France. In the year 2000 Germany will be the host to the world for the first time. Admittedly, Berlin was to have been the venue of a World Exposition in 1896. Due to limited financial resources and lack of support by the Kaiser, however, efforts to stage the World Exposition failed and only a large trade fair materialized.

The themes and goals of the World Expositions changed frequently over the years, but they always reflected the political, economic, cultural and social issues of their times. The first World Expositions were hardly more than a presentation of technical advances in the age of industrialization. Towards the end of the last century, cultural extravaganzas took center stage. In order to ensure common standards and procedures for organizing these large expositions, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) was founded in 1928. The Bureau, which has its seat in Paris, is responsible for monitoring the quality of the World Expositions and for deciding when, where and for how long they will be held. 47 states have meanwhile joined the Bureau. At its initiative, themes became obligatory for World Expositions starting in the 1930s. The focus was always on “progress”, “modern times” and “the future”. It is the Bureau’s intent that universal World Expositions - such as the one in Hanover - entertain, teach, impart knowledge in an informal manner and also accommodate economic interests.