Place d'Armes aka "Place Lily Unden" in Luxembourg-Ville; Credit: Photothèque / VdL - Charles Soubry

Fourteen municipalities in Luxembourg are currently taking part in this year's "Affichons l'égalité" gender equality initiative, launched by the National Women's Council of Luxembourg (Conseil national des femmes du Luxembourg - CNFL) as part of International Women's Day (8 March).

According to SYVICOL, the association of Luxembourg cities and municipalities, this initiative seeks to raise awareness among municipal officials and the general public by increasing the visibility of deserving women in the public space. As such, certain streets bearing men's names will be symbolically and temporarily "replaced" by women's names. As this is only a symbolic action, the official street signs remain in effect and a symbolic sticker will be attached to the official sign. 

This year, fourteen municipalities are participating in the project and a total of 131 streets / public places will display the names of deserving women over the next three weeks. The participating municipalities are: Bettembourg (20 streets); Colmar-Berg (eight streets); Differdange (one avenue, 21 streets, three squares, one park); Esch-sur-Alzette (30 streets, two boulevards, two squares, six avenues); Ettelbruck (six streets and one square); Hesperange (three streets); Leudelange (three streets, one path and one square); Luxembourg (six streets and one square); Mamer (30 streets); Niederanven (seven places); Rosport-Mompach (four streets); Schengen (four streets); Schuttrange (seven streets and one square); Walferdange (four streets).

As part of this initiative, the College of Mayors and Aldermen of the City of Luxembourg (Ville de Luxembourg - VdL), in the presence of the VdL Advisory Committee on Gender Equality last Thursday symbolically unveiled one of seven street signs that honour (until 31 March 2022) deserving women with a special connection to the capital.

In Luxembourg City, the following streets and square are concerned: Rue Beaumont = Rue Dr. Marie-Paule Molitor-Peffer (1929 - 1999); Rue des Capucins = Rue Elsy Jacobs (1933 - 1998); Rue de la Poste = Rue Helen Buchholtz (1877 - 1953); Rue Genistre = Rue Joséphine Jacquemart-Jaans (1890 - 1988); Place d’Armes = Place Lily Unden (1908 - 1989); Grand-Rue = Rue Lise Rischard-Meyer (1868 - 1940); Avenue de la Porte-Neuve = Avenue Liliane Thorn-Petit (1933 - 2008).