2022 in review

On 1 January 2022, the University of Luxembourg became the headquarters of the International Federation for Public History. The aim of this new partnership is to develop international research networks. Thomas Cauvin, former President of the International Federation for Public History, was appointed as liaison officer and Anita Lucchesi as treasurer. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 triggered a worldwide wave of support and solidarity, includingamong C²DH staff. Following the immediate humanitarian response to the outbreak of the war in March 2022, the period from March to June was characterised by efforts to facilitate the integration of research fellows through the provision of housing, contracts and mentorship. The following phase since June 2022 has focused on sustainable, future-oriented support. During this time the Luxembourgish-Ukrainian Research Network (LURN) was initiated, a Ukrainian team was created for the Programming Historian project, the Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online (SUCHO) initiative was consolidated and interviews began for the WARLUX extension projects.

Luxembourg support activities for Ukrainian researchers and students are for the most part initiated and financed by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), the University of Luxembourg,  and individual research centres and complemented by non-institutional volunteer initiatives.

On 27 February 2022, the multimedia exhibition “Remixing Industrial Pasts: Constructing the Identity of the Minett” opened in the Massenoire, a former industrial hall in Belval, Luxembourg. Featuring historical film footage, photographs and documents, sounds and voices, the exhibition engaged all the senses, turning the industrial history of the Minett into an immersive experience for visitors. Part of the Esch2022 European Capital of Culture programme, it was curated by the C²DH REMIX team in collaboration with the Milan-based artist collective Tokonoma and 2F Architettura. 

On 4 March 2022, Dominique Santana presented the transmedia documentary “A Colônia Luxemburguesa” at the University of Luxembourg at a special screening attended by HRH the Grand Duke. After the screening, HRH the Grand Duke inaugurated the [L]aço, a participatory kiosk connected with the [L]aço in Brazil. "A Colônia Luxemburguesa" is a collaboration between the C²DH, Samsa Film and the Centre national de l’audiovisuel (CNA) with the support of the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), the Film Fund Luxembourg,  Esch2022 European Capital of Culture, the Fondation Emile Metz-Tesch and the Rotary Club Esch-Bassin Minier. 

On 13 May 2022, the inhabitants of Esch were invited to discover a mural created by the Portuguese artist Mariana Duarte Santos in the Lallange district of Esch-sur-Alzette on the initiative of the C²DH, the Nuit de la Culture and the Kulturfabrik. 

The Histor'Esch is part of the PHACS project which develops public history and participatory models for interpreting the past  thanks to an Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) ATTRACT fellowship endowed with 2 million euros over five years.

The whole C²DH family came together on 25 May to celebrate the centre’s fifth birthday. The event opened with a film which explored the meaning behind the mysterious acronym C²DH and presented some light-hearted testimonials about the centre’s achievements. Andreas Fickers, Director of the C²DH, Stéphane Pallage, Rector of the University of Luxembourg, Yuriko Backes, Minister of Finance, and Claude Meisch, Minister for Higher Education and Research, then looked back over the past five years, emphasising the importance of history in today’s challenging world and congratulating the centre for its achievements.

The “Minett Stories” virtual exhibition, produced in connection with Esch2022 European Capital of Culture, was officially launched on 28 May at the Luxembourg Learning Centre.

The Minett is a region in southern Luxembourg that has been strongly influenced by its industrial past: by the mining of “minette” iron ore and iron and steel production. The new virtual exhibition, Minett Stories, investigates the multiple – and sometimes contested – histories and identities of the region, as well as those of the people who lived and worked there.

The 8th DH Benelux Conference took place at the University of Luxembourg on 1-3 June 2022 on the theme “RE-MIX: creation and alteration in DH”. During this three-day conference, humanities scholars, developers, computer and information scientists as well as representatives of art galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM) shared the state of the art in DH, discussed their latest research findings and demonstrated tools and projects.  

On 2 September 2022, the exhibition “HistorESCH: Escher Geschichten a 25 Objeten erzielt” was unveiled in Esch-sur-Alzette. It showcased 25 objects telling the history of Esch through the personal memories of the localcommunity. The HistorESCH project is a collaboration between the Nuit de la Culture and the PHACS team of public historians at the University of Luxembourg. 

On 12 October, the C²DH and the Fondation luxembourgeoise pour la Mémoire de la Shoah (FLMS) officially launched the Digital Shoah Memorial Luxembourg at a ceremony attended by the Minister for Culture, Sam Tanson. 

With the idea of building a bridge between the dead and the living, they have set themselves the task of creating a digital memorial to the memory of people who lived in Luxembourg and were persecuted for racial reasons before and during the Second World War.