Red Star Line Museum exhibits in New York

From the 19^th century to the beginning of the 20^th century, more than 60 million Europeans, in search of a better life, made the journey to the United States. Among them were 2 million immigrants making the journey via Antwerp. Often the immigrants arrived in the Belgian port city by train, where they were disinfected before being rushed onto the boat to America. For many immigrants, the last stop of the journey was Ellis Island in New York, where they underwent medical and administrative examinations before being allowed onto the American continent.

The small but captivating exhibition maps the journey of the many European migrants who left for North-America at the beginning of the 20^th century. From Red Star Line's agency in Russia to the checkpoints at Ellis Island, it presents a picture of the conditions of their journey to the Promised Land.

Thanks to interactive story cabins and personal objects, the visitor is introduced to individuals such as Reinhold Libau, who dreamt of his own farm, and to Abram Spiwak, who was looking forward to being reunited with his girlfriend. However, the most well-known migrant from that time is Irving Berlin, the jazz composer. From Russia, five-year-old Irving travelled with his family on a ship of the Red Star Line.

'Via Antwerp. The Road to Ellis Island' can be visited in the temporary exhibition space besides the Great Hall of the immigration buildings on Ellis Island. The exhibition is part of the official programme of the 'Centennial Year 2016', celebrating the centenary of the US National Park Service. This includes both the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island.