Overview of projects
Historesch Gesinn provides a platform for researchers, associations and institutions to reach out to the public about historical themes. Besides our featured research themes on the homepage, you can learn about other (and previous) projects through this page.
Family of Man
Exploring the legacy of Edward Steichen’s photographic exhibition
Help us understand how this influential exhibition resonated with individuals and communities since its premiere at New York’s MoMA in 1955, during its eight-year World Tour, and throughout its history in Luxembourg since 1965.
Rust & Research
Dive into Belval’s industrial past and academic present through a card game that’s as fun as it is educational.
Rust&Research is a fast-paced card game that brings Belval’s industrial past and academic present to life. Intended for use inside and outside of schools, it promotes curiosity, critical thinking, and a healthy dose of friendly competition.
Magica
Discovering magicians in Luxembourg’s popular culture
During the 1960s in Luxembourg, national and international male and female magicians played a pivotal role in shaping popular culture. Their performances became an integral part of the annual Schueberfouer fair, leaving a lasting impression on attendees. Even today, when people reminisce about the fair, magic performances remain a vivid memory. To engage with those memories, we present a collection of photographs from the Magica Club Lëtzebuerg’s collection.
AlMiGa
The gardens of workers and miners in the south of Luxembourg
The project explores the culture and importance of allotments for the working class, social cohesion and biodiversity in the communities of the Minett from their creation to the present day.
Viz your PhD!
Visualizing historical data from doctoral theses
A collaboration among PhD candidates at the end of their doctoral journeys, aimed at making their research more accessible to a broader audience using data visualization.
FL’ESCH Back: “Are We Home Yet?”
Telling the Story of Esch through Different Migrant Experiences
As part of the project “Public History as the New Citizen of the Past”, FL’ESCH Back is a collaborative project that explores and highlights the dynamic history of Esch-sur-Alzette in collaboration with its residents.
Dancing
Balls as popular entertainment in Minett, Luxembourg
Dancings, Zeltfester, Discos… Have you danced through the night or played in a band in the Minett? Share your memories and contribute to Luxembourg’s cultural history! The Dancing project examines balls as popular entertainment in the Minett in the second half of the 20th century. It traces the evolution of practices and cultures around popular dance and music, against the backdrop of ordinary daily life in the Luxembourg industrial region.
Polonia
Polish sociabilities in Luxembourg in the 20th century
Polish sociabilities in Luxembourg are deeply entwined with local social dynamics. This wider historical lens allows us to move beyond mere administrative interactions upon arrival, uncovering the durability and impact of social connections formed by Polish migrants throughout the 20th century. This research interrogates Polish presence and connections within the Great Region, examining the role of Polish organisations and individual participation in local societal frameworks.
HearHere Bonnevoie
This HearHere audio tour was created with oral histories from residents of Bonnevoie for the Luxembourg City Museum’s Urban History Festival. This festival took place on June 8-9, 2024 in the Bonnevoie district in Luxembourg city.
The audiotour is also accessible through the toll-free phone number (+352 800 81 292) with translations in Luxembourgish, French, Portuguese and English. Signs with the phone number are located at the sites where the stories took place.
HistorEsch
Public History Activities in the city of Esch-sur-Alzette
HistorEsch is the overarching name for a series of public engagement activities that were organized in 2021 and 2022 to actively involve the residents of the city Esch-sur-Alzette in the narration of their cities’ history. Using various methods of engagement, the public learned about the history of the city through art (fresco), stories (audiotour) or objects (exhibition).
The lessons learned from the HistorEsch project inspired the Historesch Gesinn platform, which aims to promote public history beyond the scope of Esch-sur-Alzette.
Guide
How to do public history in urban spaces
Based on concrete examples drawn from the Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH)’s activities in the city of Esch-sur-Alzette (Luxembourg) between 2020 and 2024, this guide offers a method to develop more collaborative public projects on the history of cities, towns, neighbourhoods, with local communities.
Public history is a way of producing a history that is more accessible to the general public, that relies on the participation from members of the public, and that engages with public debates about the past. The co-creation of history between researchers, institutions, associations, and local residents supports public and social inclusion, and provides participants with training and new understanding of their city, neighbourhood, and community. Designed as a WikiHow, this guide proposes several how-to steps.
