© Emile Mentz
Since 1956, the National Museum of Resistance and Human Rights in Esch-sur-Alzette has been telling the story of Luxembourg under German occupation during the Second World War.
A leg prosthesis made from beehive wood kept a Luxembourger mobile, crafted by fellow inmates in prison workshops using stolen materials.
This prosthesis is one of around 6,000 objects in the National Museum of Resistance and Human Rights, whose exhibition commemorates the resistance during the Second World War. The museum was founded on the initiative of the Esch section of the Luxembourg League of Political Prisoners and Deportees (LPPD).
The museum's collection has been built up since 1956, with items primarily coming from members of the resistance who had been imprisoned in concentration camps. Over time, the collection grew through donations from private individuals.
Historian and educational coordinator Jérôme Courtoy says the museum is the only one in Luxembourg to offer a full account of the German occupation. “It is an active museum, based on the principle of Discover & Understand,” he explains, adding that visitors can open drawers, explore interactive biographies on screens, and listen to eyewitness testimonies via QR codes linked to each chapter.
The museum's educational dimension plays a key role in engaging children and young people, says educator and historian Charlotte Pinon. She explains that new workshops focus on questions such as what resistance meant in Luxembourg and who was involved, while discussions on human rights are linked to pupils' daily lives. "We clearly address the topic of civil courage here as well," she adds.
Beyond this, the museum boasts a data bank which contains biographies of resistance members. The museum's goal is to "crowdsource" material and knowledge from the public, in the hopes of collecting parts of around 4,000 life stories of the people who were part of the resistance movement in Luxembourg.
