Musée National de la Résistance et des Droits Humains

The National Museum of Resistance and Human Rights was opened in 1956 in the center of the city and is located in the pedestrian zone. Former prisoners of the Nazi concentration camps participated in its conception. The museum focuses on the Luxembourg population, its reactions to the Nazi regime (resistance, collaboration) and life under the occupation of the German army, as well as on the structure of the Nazi party. It also follows the fate of the Jewish population during the Second World War and daily life in the concentration camps. The defense of human rights is one of the cornerstones of the museum's philosophy.

The National Museum of Resistance and Human Rights aims to present to a general public subjects concerning the Second World War era, but also current themes related to resistance against human rights violations or to citizenship education.

In 2017, the City of Esch-sur-Alzette, the Ministry of Culture and the Oeuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte formed the Fondation Musée national de la Résistance, which has been responsible for managing the museum since 1 January 2018.

In 2016/2017, the local authorities and the government decreed the renovation and expansion of the museum. The beginning of 2022 marks the opening of the renovated museum and its new wing. It will provide space for 3 additional exhibition levels (one for temporary exhibitions, two for the permanent exhibition). The existing themes will be complemented by a presentation of human rights and current civil resistance; the new exhibit will focus on the biographies of victims and offenders. Since the museum is located in an immigrant neighborhood, one of its goals is the integration of the local population and the creation of participatory projects.

By trying to establish links between the past and the present, as well as by organizing ceremonies in honor of the victims of Nazism, the museum promotes not only awareness of memory, but also political education. Temporary exhibitions (open-air exhibitions, travelling exhibitions) and events regularly deal with current topics such as the situation of the Roma, the condition of homosexuals or the immigration of war fugitives.

Since 2011, the National Museum of Resistance and Human Rights has been issuing publications on some of its exhibitions and events, which are available in the museum shop and in bookshops in Luxembourg.