This past Saturday, 26 February 2022, the cross-border project Esch2022 was successfully launched during a sold-out opening event. The title “European Capital of Culture” will be held by the town of Esch-Alzette, its surrounding ten Luxembourg municipalities of the Pro-Sud association and the eight neighbouring French municipalities of the CCPHVA (Communauté de Communes Pays Haut Val d’Alzette).
The ceremony started in front of the Town Hall in Esch-Alzette and marked the beginning of a multifaceted evening programme celebrating the launch of the European Capital of Culture. The presentation of the official certificate by the European Commission to the President of Esch2022, Georges Mischo, on behalf of the city of Esch-Alzette and the participating municipalities, as well as the ribbon cutting including all the mayors, was followed by a programme of 19 concerts by local bands on four different stages as well as two concerts in the Rockhal by “Future Frequencies” with local musicians, who presented the “Sound of Europe” created especially for Esch2022. The approximately 18,000 visitors in the center of Esch-Alzette and Esch-Belval also had the opportunity to get creative and actively participate at many different stations.
The highlight was the launch of a virtual space rocket that was entirely designed by children in the framework of a drawing contest organised in autumn 2021 with 350 students from Luxembourg and France on the subject of visualising the future of space. The rocket, as well as the Esch2022 project itself, symbolises a peaceful future in a united Europe.
“We are all very satisfied and happy, that so many people have joined us in the celebration of Europe and its diverse culture during the official launch of Esch2022, especially in times like these”, says Nancy Braun, Director General of Esch2022. “On behalf of all the municipalities, participants and supporters, I look forward to welcoming many guests in the entire Esch2022 region over the course of the upcoming year and beyond.”
First exhibitions opened in Esch-Belval
In the former and extensively refurbished industrial building “Möllerei”, Esch2022 invites you to the exhibition Hacking Identity – Dancing Diversity conceived in collaboration with the ZKM | Centre for Art and Media Karlsruhe and curated by Anett Holzheid and Peter Weibel. The exhibition runs until mid-May and gathers the works of 26 internationally acclaimed artists whose work explores phenomena of dissolution, metamorphosis, and multiplication of identity in the age of digital technologies.
The exhibition Remixing Industrial Pasts: Constructing the Identity of the Minett at the Massenoire puts industrial history in the spotlight. The central theme of this historical exhibition is the continuous process of change and transformation of the Minett region from the end of the 19th century until today. Based on a research project by the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH), which was funded by Esch2022, the Italian artist collective Tokonoma and the architectural firm 2F Architettura have translated the researchers’ findings into a both historical and artistic exhibition.
Municipalities in the spotlight
Around 160 projects with more than 2,000 events will take place in the participating municipalities in the course of Esch2022. About a third of the programme will be organised in cooperation with the two other European Capitals of Culture, Kaunas and Novi Sad.
In addition to all the exhibitions and events that will take place in the city of Esch-Alzette and the university district of Esch-Belval throughout the whole year, the participating municipalities in Luxembourg and France will each have their turn in the spotlight. The municipality of Käerjeng, for instance, will kick things off with its “Festival de Feu” on the first weekend of March. The programme of events in Esch-Alzette and Esch-Belval, as well as those organised in the various municipalities, can be found online at www.esch2022.lu/agenda.
Pictures: Claude Piscitelli & Esch 2022
