A total of 36 museums took part in this year's Luxembourg Museum Days over the weekend. The 2026 edition was once again a success, with organisers recording 20,461 visits across the participating museums.
This represents an increase of around 8.9% compared to last year, when roughly 18,000 visits were counted, according to the organisers.
The 29th edition of the Luxembourg Museum Days took place on 16 and 17 May 2026.
Visitors were able to access the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions of participating museums free of charge, while a special programme offered thematic tours, participatory workshops, musical activities, artistic performances, storytelling walks, and other activities organised for the occasion.
Of the 36 participating museums, RTL visited three museums in the east of the country: the European Museum in Schengen, featuring the new Marie-Astrid exhibition, the museum A Possen in Bech-Kleinmacher, and the Aviation Museum in the park of the Domaine Thermal in Mondorf-les-Bains.
This year's theme was "Museums unite a divided world", in line with International Museum Day, coordinated by the International Council of Museums and celebrated each year on 18 May. Museums were free to adapt their activities to the theme.
At the European Museum in Schengen, little extra adaptation was needed, as the museum already fits the theme closely. Its new director, Marlene Schmidt, explained that the museum focuses on cultural identity and borders, while also taking a critical look at the subject.
Rather than offering a purely pro-European experience, she said, the museum places people at the centre while also exploring the historical background and the way borders have changed over time.
The museum's latest highlight is the MS Marie-Astrid, the ship on which the Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985. Schmidt described it as a piece of history visitors can physically experience, stressing that it is well worth stepping into the room where the agreement was signed.
Visitors looking to go further back in time could do so at the museum A Possen in Bech-Kleinmacher. Museum coordinator Adeline Karcher explained that the aim is to show the history of rural communities along the Moselle, including everyday life and the way people worked.
Different types of houses show how families used to live, with objects from the 19th and early 20th centuries on display, Karcher said.
One part of the exhibition shows how fabric and clothing were once made. Karcher pointed, for example, to a black wedding dress, explaining that people at the time traditionally married in black.
RTL's final stop on Saturday was the Aviation Museum in Mondorf-les-Bains. There, aviation enthusiasts bring the museum to life by explaining the objects on display, as well as broader aspects of flying.
Erny Kripach, a former meteorologist at Luxembourg Airport, said the museum not only shows photographs, but also helps visitors understand flight, including the noises they may hear when travelling by plane.
Among the objects on display are Luxembourg's first ultralight aircraft, the world's smallest self-build aircraft, and a German training plane damaged by the Americans while landing at Luxembourg Airport after the Second World War.
Kripach recalled that the Americans and Luxembourgers negotiated over the damaged plane, with the Americans receiving a bottle of whisky before being taken by train to Luxembourg City. Everyone was happy, he said: the Americans left satisfied, while Luxembourg kept the damaged aircraft.
Almost every pilot who obtained a flying licence in Luxembourg at the time later flew on that aircraft, according to Kripach.
Visitors who wanted to try flying for themselves could also take a turn on the flight simulator.
The Luxembourg Museum Days will return in May 2027, when the event will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Further information is available on the Museum Days website.
