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Contact PHOTO EXHIBITION · TALLINN SPEAKING! A CENTURY ON AIR
A Century on the European Airwaves
The exhibition “A Century on the European Airwaves” brings the viewer the radio stories of Europe and the beauties of radio design from the beginning of the last century, together with the story of how the whole of Europe stepped into the radio age in the early 1920s.
“Radio is my father,”
says the daughter of radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi, Her Highness Princess Maria Elettra Ana Marconi-Giovanelli, in an interview. An extract from that interview can be heard at the exhibition.
Princess Marconi-Giovanelli continues: “He was the inventor of this wonderful means of communication, creating the possibility to communicate wirelessly through the ether. He did it in order to save lives at sea, because at that time ships sailed with their crews for months on end without news from their families and without any way of calling for help in an emergency.
Because my father, Guglielmo Marconi, was fascinated by electric waves, he had a strong intuition to use those waves in the ether for wireless communication. So at the age of 21 he built a radio system, a receiver. In the town of Sasso Marconi he used a radio connection for the first time to reach his brother, who was on the other side of a hill, telling him to fire a rifle when he heard the signal. When my father heard the shot, he understood that his invention worked.”
PRINCESS MARIA ELETTRA MARCONI-GIOVANELLI · DAUGHTER OF GUGLIELMO MARCONI
The interview with the daughter of Guglielmo Marconi was brought to the exhibition by the Embassy of Romania.
Watch the video
Curator Kertu Saks explains the background of the display and introduces the stories that await visitors.
01 — OVERVIEW
The exhibition in brief
At the exhibition you will see radios from the beginning of the last century from eight European countries, find out who were the best known radio voices in those countries and what connected them with Estonia.
02 — RADIO BRIDGE 1937
The voices of 21 countries on one wavelength
At the exhibition you can listen to a recording from 1937 – a unique radio bridge in which the best known radio voices of 21 European countries send New Year greetings and music from their homelands to the whole world.
You will find out in which years the broadcasters of European countries began their radio programmes. It is good to see that the whole of Europe started at the same time and that in the early 1920s we were all ready for the innovation that radio brought.
Watch the video
A short overview of the exhibition.
03 — EXHIBITION SERIES
Part of the series “Tallinn speaking! A Century on Air”
A Century on the European Airwaves is part of the exhibition series “Tallinn speaking! A Century on Air”, created at Tallinn TV Tower for the 100th anniversary of Estonian broadcasting. Several more exhibitions and education programmes will open within the series this year. In 2026 the TV Tower operates under the banner of Estonian Broadcasting 100.
The exhibition has been supported by ERR, the Estonian Broadcasting Museum, the Estonian Museum of Natural History, the Association of Estonian Broadcasters, Lipuvabrik OÜ, JYSK Linnen’n Furniture, the embassies of Romania, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Norway, Germany, Italy and Denmark, and many other supporters and volunteers. The exhibition is curated by Kertu Saks.
Location: 21st floor of Tallinn TV Tower
MINI MAGAZINE
A Century on the European Airwaves
GALLERY
Exhibition gallery
Photos: GoodNews, Risto Štukert
IN THE MEDIA
Coverage
AKTUAALNE KAAMERA
Tallinna teletorni uus näitus viib Eesti raadioajaloo algusaegadesse
kanal 2 “telehommik”
Buduaar
FOTOD! Ringhäälingu 100. juubeliaasta tähistamine! Kertu Saks: „See on meie lugu, meie inimesed ja meie meediaajalugu“
