Credit: Urban History Festival
The third edition of the Urban History Festival is taking place in Luxembourg-Bonnevoie on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 June 2024.
The Lëtzebuerg City Museum and its partners are inviting the public to discover Bonnevoie. The district, whose origins date back to the Cistercian abbey founded around 1200, is today the largest in Luxembourg City, inhabited by more than 18,000 people of more than 100 different nationalities.
Site of a leper colony in the Middle Ages, the urbanisation and growth of the district are linked to the dismantling of the fortress from 1867 and the expansion of the central station and the railways towards the end of the 19th century, noted the organisers. In 1887/88, the growing district acquired its own parish church. The independent municipality of Hollerich-Bonnevoie was united with the City of Luxembourg in 1920. Since the 19th century, strong industrial activity has developed in the district: glove factories, mills, brickworks, foundries, wire drawing works, cigars, chemical and pharmaceutical products, perfumes, roasting... At the end of the 19th century, even a racecourse was created in Bonnevoie, added the organisers.
Famous people born in Bonnevoie include: Gabriel Lippmann (1845-1921), Nobel Prize winner in physics in 1908; Hugo Gernsback (1884-1967), inventor of science fiction; Pierre Krier (1885-1947), politician and Minister of Labour; John E. Dolibois (1918-2014), US Ambassador to Luxembourg.
During the two-day festival, a range of activities are being organised for all ages: guided tours of the district, concerts (including a Fanfare concert for Mother's Day), open days, exhibitions and workshops. Food will also be available. The starting point for many activities will be the Place du Parc, where the kiosk will serve as a stage for musical interventions.
The full programme (including registration details) is available on the website: http://www.urbanhistoryfestival.lu/.
