Name: HISTOFEST. History on Full Blast 2025
Start: 2025-10-15T16:30:00+02:00
End: 2025-10-15T22:00:00+02:00
Location: Belval Plaza 1

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The 2025 pilot edition of HISTOFEST. History on full blast was initiated and organized by Dr Dora Komnenovic with the aim of exploring new ways of practicing public history and the ambition of turning it into a recurring annual event that combines networking, promotion, and infotainment.

The first edition of Histofest took place at the Belval Plaza shopping centre in Esch-sur-Alzette on 15 October 2025. More than three hundred visitors attended the event, which started with a photo challenge revolving around the visits of prominent personalities such as Grand Duke Jean, Pope John Paul II, Tito, Ceaușescu, Queen Elizabeth II and others to Luxembourg and the Minett region.

Some of these visits might have left a more lasting imprint on Esch than others, but most resulted in at least one Golden Book entry. The multimedia exhibition at the festival thus displayed the Golden Book of Esch-sur-Alzette, the Visitors Book of the National Museum of Resistance and Human Rights, as well as the hologram featured in the film “Nicolae”.

Under the guidance of bookbinder Danielle Köller-Willems festival visitors participated in the creation of the Golden Book of Histofest and learned how to craft unique handmade booklets in a bookbinding workshop.

2025 edition of HISTOFEST at Belval Plaza Shopping Centre
Bookbinding workshop with Danielle Koeller-Willems
Photo challenge
Visitors Book of the National Museum of Resistance and Human Rights
HISTOFEST project’s fair
Guitar performance by Ivan K.
HISTOFEST Maison du Son

At the projects’ fair visitors could find out more about the work of the C²DH – especially the research projects , , , ,and Maison du Son.

In the evening the documentaries and were screened at Kinepolis Belval. Each film was preceded by an introduction and followed by a lively conversation with the directors Želimir Žilnik and Mihai Grecu.

The programme was rounded off by a guitar performance by Ivan K., who played pop-rock covers and his own compositions.

^{Camera: Andy O’Dwyer. Editing: Nael Nassan}

The pilot edition of Histofest was part of the project, funded by the European Union under the WIDERA programme (Grant Agreement No. 101079466).

Any questions? Feel free to contact Dr Dora Komnenovic for more information about the festival.

Philippe Hiligsmann (Uni.lu, Vice-Rector for Academic and Student Affairs), Dora Komnenovic (C²DH, Organiser of HISTOFEST), Thomas Cauvin (Head of Public History & Outreach at the C²DH), Andreas Fickers (Director of the C²DH)

Programme

16.30 – 20.00

Hands-on activities and projects’ fair
17.30

Welcome and music
18.30 – 20.00

Screening of ‘Tito Among the Serbs for the Second Time’ and talk with director Želimir Žilnik
20.15-21.45

Screening of ‘Nicolae’ and talk with director Mihai Grecu

A Deeper Dive into HISTOFEST

Doing (public) history in a shopping mall: pourquoi pas?

Learn more
Three questions to our HISTOFEST guests

Read the interviews with our guests Mihai Grecu, Ivan K and Danielle Köller-Willems.

Learn more

^{© Archives communales – Ville de Differdange / Département Patrimoine historique et industriel – Ville d’Esch-sur-Alzette / Fototeca online a comunismului românesc 109/1972}