A day in the life of a museum
Riehl’s schedule at BELvue was designed to show the broad scope of activities that keep a museum running and connecting with its community. Her experience included:
- Democracy Reporters workshop: Observing and supporting a programme where students step into the role of political journalists for a day.
- Front-of-house work: Welcoming visitors, selling tickets and shop items, and experiencing the first point of contact with the public.
- Team meeting: Joining staff discussions on communication and audience engagement in preparation for the upcoming ‘Museum Night Fever’ event.
- Event management and sustainability: Learning about BELvue’s strategy to host events while keeping environmental impact in mind.
- Collections and depot tour: Going hands-on with museum objects and discovering how the collection is cared for behind the scenes.
Reflections on the experience
In a press release issued ahead of the internship, Riehl highlighted the parallels between the work of museums and that of policymakers:
“I have only ever experienced museums as a visitor, so I was very curious to discover the other side. Being in the BELvue gave me a unique opportunity to listen, reflect and see how museums bring ideas to life. Like in politics, it’s about creating spaces where citizens can take part in shaping our societies. Both aim to strengthen democracy — and this experience showed me just how vital museums are in that mission.”
Museums as spaces for democracy
Julia Pagel, NEMO Secretary General, underlined the value of hosting the internship at BELvue:
“The BELvue Museum embodies Europe’s shared values in action. By exploring themes such as democracy, solidarity, pluralism and migration, it connects Belgium’s story to the wider European identity. Through NEMO’s Political Internship, we give policymakers a hands-on experience of museums’ daily work and show how museums are vital spaces for dialogue, reflection and resilience.”
An Lavens, Director of the BELvue Museum, added:
“At BELvue we don’t see ourselves as just a museum, but as a living forum for democracy and reflection. For politicians, experiencing this first-hand provides valuable insights into how culture can support inclusion, participation, education and democracy. We were delighted to share our work with Nela Riehl and hope the experience will enrich her perspective at the European Parliament.”
Strengthening the dialogue between museums and policymakers
Since 2018, the NEMO Political Internship has strengthened ties between the museum sector and EU policymakers, demonstrating how museums contribute to democracy, education, innovation and social cohesion. Riehl is the fifth EU politician to take part, following Sabine Verheyen, Mariya Gabriel, Luca Jahier and Julie Ward.
With her internship at BELvue, Riehl gained a unique insight into the daily work of museums and the crucial role they play for society.
