Luxembourg is set to open a Holocaust center in May as part of a historic restitution agreement with the Jewish community.
According to the Delano Luxembourg news site, the center will offer learning and remembrance exhibits about the Holocaust.
In January 2021, Luxembourg’s government signed a restitution agreement with the Jewish Consistory of Luxembourg, the country’s EJC affiliate. The grand duchy was one of the last Western nations to sign a restitution agreement.
Part of the agreement stipulated that Luxembourg would open a Holocaust commemorative learning center at Cinqfontaines abbey. Located in the town of Troisvierges, the abbey was a main deportation site in the country during the Holocaust.
In a press release, the government said that pilot projects will begin at the site in mid-May.
Starting at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, a full program – including workshops against hate speech – will be offered to students.
The curriculum is being developed in cooperation with the Luxembourg Centre for Political Education (ZpB) and the National Youth Service (SNJ). It will be available for schools and also for the general public.
The site aims to educate about the role Luxembourg played during the Holocaust, and to tell the story of the Jews who were deported from the abbey by the Nazis.
The site was previously owned by the Catholic community.
“Remembrance does not only mean remembering the past, but also showing respect to those who have lived through this painful history. Remembrance also means analyzing the past with a certain critical thought, to prevent today any resurgence of hatred and any incitement to hatred,” Education Minister Claude Meisch said. “In this context, the Cinqfontaines centre will accomplish a double mission, both commemorative and educational.”