Mittsommer - HahnAirport Magazin

Fotos: Luxembourg City Tourist Office
One hundred percent culture. Luxembourg,
European Capital of Culture
2007, will be for one year the centre
of the European art scene. But the events do
not only take place in the capital of the
Grand Duchy but also in the neighbouring
regions in Belgium, France and Germany.
“Crossing borders together” is the leitmotif
of this cultural highlight bringing art and the
Saar-Lor-Lux region to the centre of attention.
More than 450 events and projects
reflect past and present.
The cultural centre of the programme is
situated in the quattropole Luxembourg,
Metz, Saarbrücken and Treves. The four cities
have already been working closely together
in tourism. And dozens of smaller cities and
communities are participating and expect a
lot of visitors. The old industrial site Völklinger
Hütte for example. Being part of the
World Cultural Heritage, the site will turn
into a park full of different attractions from
April to October. Hundreds of interactive
exhibits invite the visitors to experiment
with science or to simply have some fun. For
example with one of world’s largest fire tornados
or a giant toboggan. In an experimentation
tunnel a world of water, air and fire
comes to life in a multimedia presentation
explaining iron production. Discover a whole
new chapter in the hall Gebläsehalle on the
13th of May during the year of culture. Genius
1. The Mission: DiscoverResearchInvent is
the name of an exhibition presenting the
most important inventions of humanity till
spring 2008 – from the wheel to printing
and the MP3-Player. But also the condom
and the birth control pill are part of the
show as both inventions profoundly
changed society.
Luxembourg itself is dedicated to modern
art. Two old engine sheds behind the main
station have been transformed into museums.
The places named Rotunde I and II will
present several exhibitions during summer
and autumn. Dysfashional Adventures in
Post-Style (21.4.-27.5) for example offers
insights into the world of fashion as a tool
for image cultivation. But also the new
MUDAM museum, the first for contemporary
art in Luxembourg, has developed ambitious
projects. Under the Motto Tomorrow now:
Design& Science fiction the relationship between
man and technology will be explored
and several artists created a voyage through
time to an already existing future. The event
takes place between May and September.
„We want to show”, Robert Garcia, Chief-
Organiser of the cultural year stated in an
interview, „that Luxembourg has much more
to offer than banks and cheap gasoline.”
“More than two thirds of the projects will be
cross-border events.”, he adds. Nothing new
actually for the people of the region. Each
day 120.000 commuters come to work in the
Grand Duchy. The novelty is the large scale
cooperation between artists from France,
Germany, Luxemburg and Belgium. From
the Palatinate to the Ardennes, museums
have created common exhibitions across the
borders and theatres, orchestras and artists
came together to realise various cultural
projects. A „Poetry Slam“ for example will
bring together masters of the words from
Metz, Treves, Saarbrücken and Luxembourg.
Hundreds of promising talents from the region
come together for a musical at the Tuchfabrik,
Treves. A musical called „Alice –
Superstar“ offering an ironic look at the
popular TV casting shows. The show will
bring rock music, emotion and laughter to
the cities of Treves, Ettelbruck und Saarbrükken
beginning in April. In honour of the
apostle Matthew an oratory will take place
the 28th of May on the square in front of the
Benedictine Monastery St.Matthias. Edward
Elgar’s „The Apostles op.49“ is a piece of
music rarely performed.
In addition, the old Roman metropolis brings
to life the classical world. The operas “Samson
and Delilah” (15th of June – 1st of July)
and the drama “King Oedipus” (30th of June
– 13th of July) will be performed on stage at
the antiquity festival. „Bread and Circuses“
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Regional-Highlight
is the motto of the second weekend in
August when Roman soldiers and Franks
meet for a re-enactment of a historic battle.
And as every year the gladiators will battle
in the sand of the arena. And a Roman
bivouac fills with life the area around the
emperor’s thermal baths.
The highlight will probably be the Constantine
Exhibition. From the 2nd of June to the
4th of November the event honours the life
of the first Roman, Christian emperor at
three different sites in Treves.
Exhibits from more than 170 international
museums like the Louvre or the British
Museum have been brought together to give
an insight into the late antiquity as well as
new archaeological discoveries, shown for
the first time. Not only for the fans of history!
The world of the old Romans can be experienced
first hand at the thermal bath near
the Viehmarkt. Artists and craftsmen take
the visitors on a trip to the world of ancient
Rome. Another important and influential
personality is presented at the Friedrich-
Ebert-Stiftung in the Karl Marx-Haus.
„Remarx“ is a project realised by the group
“kunstlauf”, exploring the sudden emergence
and disappearance of societies based on
the concepts of Karl Marx.
Another cross-border cooperation is planned
with the second European Capital of Culture
2007 Hermannstadt. With Sibiu in Romany
more than a dozen projects will be realised
together. The work is made easier by the fact
that the Transylvanian Germans living there
speak a language similar to the Moselfränkisch
still spoken in the Saar-Lor-Lux region.
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