(L-R) Jerome Courtoy, Historian & Educator at the National Resistance and Human Rights Museum; Grand Duke Henri; Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu

On Friday 12 September 2025, Grand Duke Henri paid a visit to the National Museum of Resistance and Human Rights in Esch-sur-Alzette.

He was accompanied by the Luxembourg’s Minister of Culture, Eric Thill, the Mayor of Esch-sur-Alzettr, Christian Weis, and the President of the National Museum of Resistance Foundation, Pierre-Marc Knaff. The Grand Duke and the guests were given an introduction to the museum by its Director, Frank Schroeder, together with his team.

In an interview with Chronicle.lu, Frank Schroeder shared how the idea for the Grand Duke’s visit came about earlier this year when the Grand Duke travelled to Portugal with a Luxembourg delegation that included the museum. “That’s where we invited him to come to our museum and [are] happy that he came,” he noted, adding that the subject matter is an important one for the Grand Ducal family, with Grand Duchess Charlotte having played a major role during that period. Mr Schroeder further recalled that the Grand Duke last visited the museum in 1998, before his accession: “It’s the first time he was here in 1998. He was not yet Grand Duke at that time. So yeah, it’s the first time he came.”

The Director shared that the Grand Duke was given a tour of the museum’s permanent exhibition, which served more as an introduction to the concept behind the displays than a detailed historical tour. “We just explained what we intended to do and how we did. I suppose he was quite happy with what he saw,” Schroeder noted. He added that the museum had become increasingly interactive and multimedia since its renovation in 2024, offering different approaches for different audiences: “You can read, you can watch, you can touch … it’s a lot of interactive displays.”

At the end of the visit, the Grand Duke signed the museum’s guest book and posed for a group photo with the museum team.

On Saturday 20 September 2025, the National Museum of Resistance and Human Rights Esch-sur-Alzette will offer free entrance, with guided tours available in French, German, Luxembourgish, English and Portuguese.