Credit: ANLux
On Thursday 2 October 2025, Luxembourg Minister of Culture Eric Thill and Minister for Mobility and Public Works Yuriko Backes welcomed the honourable members of the parliamentary committees on Culture and on Mobility and Public Works to the construction site of the future building of the National Archives (ANLux) in Esch-Belval.
According to the Ministries of Culture and of Mobility and Public Works, the visit provided an update on the progress of this major national project, which will provide Luxembourg with a modern, sustainable facility adapted to the archiving and research needs of the 21st century.
Minister Thill recalled that "this project represents a strategic investment by the Luxembourg State in favour of national memory, democratic transparency and the provision of documentary heritage for citizens, researchers and institutions.”
Minister Backes emphasised: "The provision of modern archival infrastructure is essential to safeguard our collective memory and pass on to future generations the foundations of our identity. Archives are a fundamental pillar of any democratic society, guaranteeing the traceability of public decisions. It is not only about preserving our past, but also about strengthening our future with a concern for transparency and responsibility, both individual and collective.”
According to the Ministries, the new building, designed in wood, glass and concrete, will provide a net floor area of 17,224 m² and a storage capacity of 105 linear kilometres, covering the country’s archiving needs for the next 25 to 30 years. It will also bring together, on a single site, all the services and deposits currently spread across six different locations. The building is designed to meet modern energy requirements: with photovoltaic panels on the façade and roof over an area of 5,700 m², combined with 20 geothermal probes, a Canadian well and heat pumps, it is expected to generate more energy annually than it consumes.
The Ministries added that the infrastructures will comply with international standards in conservation, security and climatic conditions, ensuring optimal protection of Luxembourg’s documentary heritage. The provisional timetable foresees a relocation phase for administrations, collections and holdings between April 2026 and February 2027. The reading room is scheduled to open to the public in May 2026, with the official inauguration of the site planned for autumn 2026.
The two ministers expressed their appreciation for the commitment and quality work of all the teams involved in the project, in particular the National Archives, the Fonds Belval and the technical partners, including the Public Buildings Administration.
