Luxembourg Holds National Remembrance Ceremony

On Sunday 15 October 2023, several ceremonies took place in Luxembourg City, dedicated to the memory of the Luxembourgish people's resistance during the Second World War occupation from 1940 to 1945.

The Grand Duke of Luxembourg laid a wreath in front of the Luxembourg Solidarity National Monument (Kanounenhiwwel) before rekindling the flame of remembrance. He later signed the guest book inside the monument. The President of the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg’s Parliament), Fernand Etgen, Luxembourg’s Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, François Bausch, the Mayor of the City of Luxembourg, Lydie Polfer, the Chief of Staff of the Luxembourg Army, General Steve Thull, and the Director General of the Grand Ducal police, Philippe Schrantz, were present for the occasion.

At the end of the ceremony at the national monument of Luxembourg Solidarity, Fernand Etgen, Xavier Bettel, François Bausch, Lydie Polfer and the president of the Jewish Consistory, Albert Aflalo laid wreaths in front of the monument in memory of the victims of the Shoah.

Albert Aflalo and Prime Minister Xavier Bettel gave speeches which were followed by a prayer pronounced by the chief rabbi of Luxembourg, Alain Nacache.

Later in the morning, Fernand Etgen, Xavier Bettel, François Bausch and Lydie Polfer laid wreaths of flowers in front of the Gëlle Fra monument in Place de la Constitution.

The authorities then moved to the Deportation memorial in Luxembourg-Hollerich, where Fernand Etgen, Xavier Bettel, Lydie Polfer and the President of the Federation of Force Enlisted Persons (FEDEF), Joseph Lorent, laid wreaths.

In the afternoon, Luxembourg's Prime Minister delivered a speech during a ceremony at the National Monument to the Resistance and Deportation (Hinzerter Kräiz). The president of the Protestant Consistory of Luxembourg, Emmanuelle Bauer, Chief Rabbi Alain Nacache and Vicar General Patrick Muller then blessed the tomb at the monument. Fernand Etgen, Xavier Bettel, François Bausch and Lydie Polfer laid wreaths in front of the monument.

A cultural meeting followed on the theme of memory at the Atert-Lycée in Rédange. Luxembourg’s Minister of Education, Children and Youth, Minister for Higher Education and Research, Claude Meisch, visited the Atert-Lycée in Rédange as part of the National Remembrance Day.

The Luxembourg Government delivered a speech around this occasion, noting that National Remembrance Day has its origins in the census of 10 October 1941. “At that time, the Nazis wanted to know from citizens whether they were Jewish and what their nationality, mother tongue and ‘race’ were. The Resistance called for the last three questions to be answered with ‘Luxembourgish’. Many people followed this call, which led to the cancellation of the census.”

“This year was also marked by the 100th anniversary of the inauguration of the Monument of Remembrance, better known as ‘Gëlle Fra’. Erected in 1923, this monument has become over time a strong symbol of freedom, commitment and solidarity for our country,” the government declaration concluded.