Europeana 1989 is our new project that aims to find out your stories from the revolutionary year of 1989!

From now until the end of 2014 (the 25th anniversary year), we will travel all across central and eastern Europe with our roadshows. We want anyone with memories, stories, objects or memorabilia from this time to come along and help us build the full picture of the fall of the Iron Curtain.

1989 was a year filled with political changes for Europe. If we didn’t directly experience it for ourselves, we heard about it through TV and radio broadcasts, newspapers and books. But what about the untold stories? The personal experiences? Our roadshows kicked off in Poland last week to find them out.

This is where we met Anna Misiewicz (32):

‘I brought some food coupons to the roadshow today. They were given to the people that were working class. This meant practically everybody! You couldn’t go to the butcher and just buy sausages or meat; you had to go to the office in your work place and ask for a “meat card”. There was no free market system during that time, so you needed the coupons to buy your groceries. The cards were for a specified amount of meat and were issued once a month. This one belonged to my father who was a professor working at the Institute of Archaeology.’

Anna wasn’t the only one who shared her stories with us. We recorded experiences from all levels of society: adults who were children in 1989 told us how all of a sudden soda in cans became ‘a thing’ – it was something they hadn’t had before so people started buying them and collecting the cans; people who were teenagers during the time shared with us how supermarkets became their favourite places to hang out; the shops were full so budding chefs could buy all the spices they needed, and little children collected the images that came with packets of gum.

So, what is your story from 1989? Do you remember the moments that told you that the world around you had changed forever?

You can upload your stories to Historypin online or you can come along to one of our roadshows. Your experiences don’t need to be political – we want the personal stories, the life-changing moments, however small! Share your experience and contribute to the big picture!

To view Anna’s full story and listen to it in her own words, click here and learn more about our amazing side project: 89Voices

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated about the project, stories and exciting news!