An immersive, interactive, multimedia approach to history
The “Legionnaires”: Learning history in a new way
The project “Légionnaires: parcours de guerre et de migrations entre le Luxembourg et la France” is a continuation of the “Éischte Weltkrich” project led by the C²DH. It is the result of nearly four years of research carried out in several institutions in France and Luxembourg (archive centres, museums, libraries and multimedia centres) and also among the families of Luxembourg members of the French Foreign Legion, in both Luxembourg and France, who have opened up their private archives for research purposes.
The aim of the project was to look back at a period and a sequence of events about which little was known in Luxembourg and to investigate some well-worn clichés in the country’s historiography, while offering a fresh and well-documented perspective on the journeys taken by around a thousand men, most of whom lived in France, when war was declared.
An edited volume
This research initially led to an edited scholarly book aimed at a wide audience, containing contributions from several specialist academic researchers with an interest in military history and migrations, as well as a variety of related topics.
An immersive exhibition
Alongside the book, a temporary exhibition was developed following a collaborative effort between the C²DH, the Musée Dräi Eechelen and the Tokonoma agency. This led to the production of an original and innovative museum project characterised by new media and an immersive scenography, showcasing a variety of historical documents and artefacts categorised into different themes. The goal of the multidisciplinary research team was to reveal the great complexity of individual stories via a micro-historical, prosopographical approach, while shedding light more generally on the period from the mid-19th century to the interwar years. The idea was to focus the visitor’s attention on the journeys taken by these men and their families both during and before/after the war, so as to offer a new long-term historical perspective on their lives.
The exhibition benefited from prestigious institutional loans and also from multiple sources from individuals and local history associations, without whose contributions it would have been impossible to achieve such an intimate yet comprehensive result.
Finally, the exhibition was complemented by a smartphone treasure hunt, which extended the visit and gave members of the public the opportunity to follow these men and their stories through Luxembourg City.
Videos presented in connection with the exhibition
designed by Tokonoma
A website under preparation
To ensure the sustainability and broad availability of this research, the C²DH and its team of digital media specialists are currently working on the development of a dedicated website on the topic. The site has been designed to help users understand and follow the specific individual journeys of each Luxembourg volunteer via biographies, maps and archive collections. This online version of the “Legionnaires” exhibition will also give the public the opportunity to contribute to the collaborative project, which will continue to be developed over time.
