Slate Museum in Haut-Martelange;
Credit: Chronicle.lu
Luxembourg's Ministry of Labour and the Inspectorate of Labour and Mines (ITM) have announced the upcoming launch of a new website dedicated to the Grand Duchy's mining heritage.
The Labour Ministry and ITM have entrusted the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) at the University of Luxembourg with carrying out research on the history of the ITM, with the publication of a book planned for 2026.
This project covers the 150 years of history of the ITM (1869-2019) and will address several themes: institutional development, working conditions, safety and health at work, and accidents at work.
Part of this collaboration is the launch of a new website dedicated to the history of the mining industry in Luxembourg and its workers. The official launch date is Wednesday 4 December 2024. This project, supported by several national institutions, highlights the National Miners Monument (Monument National des Mineurs) and the "Léiffrächen" (also known as Notre-Dame des Mineurs), two major symbols of the country's cultural and historical heritage.
Inaugurated in 1957 in Kayl, the National Miners Monument bears the names of miners who died in work accidents. Classified as a national cultural heritage in 2017, it embodies a lasting tribute to these workers.
A pilgrimage site since the 18th century, the "Léiffrächen" symbolises the patron saint of miners and represents a place of remembrance for families and the community. It is also listed as a national cultural heritage site.
As the ministry and ITM explained, more than 1,500 miners lost their lives in Luxembourg's mines between 1860 and 1980. The new website offers comprehensive documentation on these workers, with:
- a historical video retracing the history of the monument and the "Léiffrächen" (available in French, German and English);
- an interactive timeline of key events;
- detailed photographs of the commemorative tablets and their transcriptions;
- access to the "Registre des victimes minières" (register of mining victims), an unpublished document developed by Émile Gelhausen and the transcription;
- analytical articles on the history of the monument and statistics related to the mining industry based on the data inscribed on the monument.
The official launch of the website will take place this Wednesday, on St Barbara's Day (Saint Barbara is the patron saint of miners, among others), at the Schungfabrik cultural centre in Tétange. This celebration will bring together historians, community members and official representatives to pay tribute to the miners and their legacy.
The website is being developed in partnership with the C²DH, the ITM, the Ministry of Labour and the Municipal Administration of Kayl/Tétange.
Luxembourg's Minister of Labour, Georges Mischo, commented: "The history of miners is inseparable from the industrial development of our country. This website is a recognition of their efforts and an essential resource for understanding the roots of our society."
The website is designed to offer a living archive, allowing families, historians and enthusiasts to reconnect with their past. It is accessible to all and described as a valuable resource for discovering mining history and its impacts.
More information will be made available on www.mininghistory.uni.lu
Moreover, the public is being invited to contribute to the historical research project on the 150th anniversary of the ITM. Anyone with documents, photographs, testimonies or any other element related to the history of the ITM, the mining industry or working conditions in Luxembourg, or work accidents, is invited to get in touch via email: mininghistory@uni.lu.
Denis Scuto, Deputy Director of the C²DH, noted: "As researchers at C²DH, it is both stimulating and exciting to study and attempt to reconstruct 150 years of the history of the Labour and Mines Inspectorate (1869-2019), in the broadest sense, therefore linked to an institutional history, to the history of working conditions and relations, to the history of health and safety at work, to the history of accidents at work."
ITM Director Marco Boly said: "Miners risked their lives every day to build Luxembourg's economy. By supporting this project, we are recalling their fundamental contribution while providing an educational and commemorative platform."
