The first history festival in Belval!
The idea of the festival was born out of the wish to explore new formats of engaging local communities, present our work to broader audiences and actively promote the values we stand for when we do (public) history.
This year’s pilot edition is dedicated to our visitors, be it from the past or from the present, of flesh and blood or not. Yes…You read that correctly. Come and see for yourself who our other visitors are.
Stop by our stands on the 2nd floor of Belval Plaza and discover who are the VIPs that payed the city a visit in the past, share your memories and/or anecdotes about these state visits, participate in hands-on activities and contribute to the creation of the festival’s Golden Book by looking at those of the City of Esch or the National Museum of Resistance and Human Rights!
The programme starts at 16:30 with a photo challenge, a fair featuring our researchers and their exciting projects and a bookbinding workshop with Danielle Köller-Willems. Do not miss the opportunity to win prizes, get to know how our projects might be relevant to you, and learn how to bind booklets. This part of the programme ends at 20 o’clock.
Our film programme, featuring two documentaries, starts at Kinepolis at 18.30 with Želimir Žilnik’s Tito Among the Serbs for the Second Time, followed by Mihai Grecu’s film Nicolae at 20:15. Both films are preceded by an introduction and followed by a Q&A with the directors Želimir Žilnik and Mihai Grecu.
This year’s edition of Histofest is taking place in the framework of Europast, a project that has received funding from the European Union under the WIDERA programme (EUROPAST project, Grant Agreement No. 101079466).
For more information about the festival please contact Dr Dora Komnenovic.
-
WHAT
HISTOFEST. History on Full Blast
-
WHAT EXACTLY
hands-on activities, project’s fair, exhibition, hologram display, film screenings with Q&A
-
WHEN
Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 16.30 – 22.00
-
WHERE
Belval Plaza 1, 2nd floor and Kinepolis Belval (3rd floor)
-
WHO
all welcome, free entry
Programme
-
16.30
Project’s fair, hands-on activities, exhibition, hologram display, book binding workshop with Danielle Köller-Willems. Give us a hand in creating the Golden Book of the Festival inspired by two exhibited examples: the Golden Book of the City of Esch and the Visitor’s Book of the Museum of Resistance. Learn how exciting the art of book binding can be. Explore first-hand some of our Centre’s projects at the project’s fair and participate in our historical photo challenge with the chance of winning prizes! Engage in a conversation with our special guests Želimir Žilnik, Mihai Grecu and a surprise guest from the past!
-
17.30
Official opening and presentation of activities. Music and food!
-
18.30 – 20.00
Film screening #1 “Tito Among the Serbs for the Second Time” including Q&A with director Želimir Žilnik (at Kinepolis)
-
20.15-21.45
Film screening #2 „Nicolae“ including Q&A with director Mihai Grecu (at Kinepolis)



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