Contrary to current popular opinion Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha did not single-handedly organize the first Great Exhibition in London 150 years ago. He was, however, convinced of the great possibilities and the value of exhibitions. For this reason he enthusiastically supported the realisation of the World Exhibition. Prince Albert played a decisive role in getting together politicians, scientists, entrepreneurs and foreign governments and in convincing them of the idea of a Great Exhibition of all nations in London. He helped to unify the forces of tradition -- the monarchy and the aristocracy -- with contemporary forces -- industry, technology, the middle and lower classes -- in the idea of a World Exhibition: science and the arts were to be brought to large parts of the population. The Great Exhibition was conceived as the beginning of a long-term and ambitious strategy. In this context a number of lectures were given which were published in two volumes in 1853.

Volume 20 of the Prince Albert Studies, "The Great Exhibition and its Legacy," takes up the underlying idea of those publications and deals with the legacy of the Great Exhibition, particularly with the question in how far it was possible to realise the original intentions. In the twentieth year after its founding, the Prince Albert Society was able to gather distinguished experts from Great Britain, Germany and Overseas for a conference together with the Victorian Society and the Royal Society of Arts.

The 28 essays collected in this book deal with the following subjects: aspects of cultural history, the history of the Royal Societay of Arts, the relationship between science and the economy, the political andsocial context, the German contribution, architecture and the legacy and reception. ("1851-2001").

Since the Middle Ages the relationship between religion and politics has been one of the great themes of European politics. The path followed by European societies and states can very largely be read as a history of the forms this tense relationship took and of the problems it raised. Central to them, since the period of the Reformation at least, was the problem of how society and government dealt with religious and confessional pluralism. Even today -- especially in respect of the increasing number of Muslim fellow-citizens in the European Union -- this theme has considerable significance, even if it manifests itself in various different ways in each particular country.

The Prince Albert Society (Coburg) and The Centre for the History of Religions, Inter-Faith Dialogue and Pluralism (Leicester) address the history of the problematic relationship between religion and politics and the treatment of religious pluralism in politics, state and society. Taking Britain and Germany as examples, both historical and contemporary aspects of this theme are discussed. Five areas of interest offer a comparative perspective from a British and a German point of view. The themes are defined by various epochs which range from the period of the Reformation up to the present: state and church, tolerance and politics, colonialism and mission, totalitarianism and antisemitism, and co-existence today. Two essays present a historical survey over a long period of the past and offer the prospect on probable future developments in the 21st century.