Keystone France · Gamma-Keystone · Getty The House of European History in Brussels’ Leopold Park has attracted half a million visitors since it opened in 2017. Once through the security gate, where guards examine your ID, X-ray your bag and check your temperature with a thermal camera, you pick up an audioguide, which welcomes you, in all 24 of the EU’s official languages, to ‘the House of European History, a project of the European Parliament’. It informs you that ‘as we take you through the main exhibition, you’ll notice that we don’t tell you the story of each European nation.’ The permanent exhibition starts with a display of artefacts related to the geography of Europe and the Greek myth of Europa. When you get to the 18th century the audioguide tells you, ‘The French Revolution of 1789 saw ordinary citizens overthrow the absolute monarchy that had controlled them for centuries. But their noble ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity were soon tainted by the Terror, a period of violent repression, mass executions and political purges. The guillotine was adopted by the revolutionary French state to deal with its enemies.’ In the background, you hear the swishing sound of the descending blade.