Following the trauma of World War II there was a need to re-think European culture and its relationship to the rest of the world.

Scandinavian cultural artefacts from the early Middle Ages such as the treasure hoards from Hiddensee and Hoen offered multifaceted opportunities for projection and identification.

They were constantly re-interpreted in exhibitions, for instance as symbols of Soviet-Scandninavian friendship or as emblems of pre-modern global interconnections.