Plans for a monument dedicated to Grand Duke Jean have been in the works since shortly after his death on 23 April 2019.
The project was first announced by then Prime Minister Xavier Bettel on 5 January 2021, which would have marked Grand Duke Jean’s 100th birthday. However, the public competition was only launched in mid-2025. A total 27 proposals were submitted, 10 of which were deemed ineligible.
A jury, composed of representatives from the Grand Ducal Court, the Ministry of State, Luxembourg City, and the Oeuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte, selected three finalists from the remaining 17 entries through a two-stage evaluation. These final proposals were then presented to Prime Minister Luc Frieden.
According to Danièle Wagener, the jury president for the project, the chosen design stood out for capturing Grand Duke Jean in the most human way. “What particularly appealed to us, and this was also the jury’s view, was that the figure conveys a certain dynamism and tension. You can sense his presence and energy, which was a wonderful element of this project”, she said.
The sculpture, created by Jonas Ademes, an artist from Bitburg with ties to Luxembourg, will depict Grand Duke Jean at around 60 to 65 years old, dressed in a suit with his hands behind his back.
Wagener explained that the process involves creating a clay model based on the artist's maquette before producing the bronze sculpture using the lost-wax technique.
The piece will be cast in Italy and will be installed in Parc Pescatore once completed. The location was chosen as it features a tree planted to mark Grand Duke Jean’s birth and offers views of both the Mudam – Luxembourg’s modern art museum which bears his name – and the European institutions on Kirchberg.
While an exact unveiling date has yet to be determined, the installation is expected to take place in the second half of next year. The project’s maximum budget has been set at €350,000.
