Past Expos

In Hyde Park, an imposing and impressive palace, the Crystal Palace, is built specially for the occasion.

Luxembourg is represented by 6 exhibitors, including the shoe manufacturer J. Wemmer, bootmaker of the King Grand Duke, who will be awarded a medal.

Prussia wanted to group the products of the Grand-Duchy under the Zollverein, but Luxembourg manages to display its coat of arms and flag on its stand, the one of the King of Holland with the inscription “Grand-Duché de Luxembourg”.

Following the reorganization of the German states, Luxembourg was no longer part of the Zollverein.

Napoleon III wishes to seize this opportunity to obtain the cession of Luxembourg by the Netherlands but Bismarck was opposed.

The glove-makers A. Charles & Co and G. Meyer, the Société des Mines de Luxembourg (a mining company) and the forges of Burbach are among the exhibitors.

These small Nations have grouped together, not being able to occupy an entire bay on their own.

Each of them has integrated a part of its architectural identity into the façade. This is a section of the Grand Ducal palace that serves as a model to illustrate Luxembourg.

The entrance to the Luxembourg stand is pompously decorated. An allegory showing the mining and steel industry on a par with agriculture dominates the stand. These activities are presented as the foundations of Luxembourg’s economic activity.

The P&T (now POST) introduces a project to equip Luxembourg with a telephone network.

A numismatic collection retraces the history of Luxembourg.

The Luxembourg participation is modest and is installed in the northern part of the Palais du Cinquantenaire.

The Dudelange factory presents the masterpiece: a pyramid of cast iron and steel.

The country built a wooden and plaster structure inspired by the Grand Ducal Palace and the Mansfeld Castle.

The country also exhibits Henri Tudor’s energy car, a mobile power plant designed to replace steam locomotives.

The country presents steel, leather and wine products as well as roses together with the drawings of the new train station, which will be completed in 1913.

There are however four unofficial participants, with the award list mentioning the rose gardeners Thill Frères from Ettelbrück and Gemen and Bourg from Luxembourg, as well as the house painter Joseph Treinen from Rodange.

A wide selection of Luxembourg’s contemporary creations is displayed at this «Exposition internationale des Arts décoratifs et industriels modernes ».

For the first time, the Grand Duchy presents the banking sector and seizes the opportunity to present itself as an international financial center.

The government has financed two large paintings, one showing the different Luxembourg banks, the other the development of the country’s holding companies.

Reliefs by the artist Auguste Trémont on both sides of the pavilion illustrate the country’s industry and agriculture. The building features the steel companies Arbed, Hadir and Paul Wurth S.A. and offers tourist information.

The façade includes a large relief with the title « Vue panoramique de la Ville de Luxembourg », by Pierre Blanc.

The main hall contains a 20 x 4.5 metre model of Luxembourg’s mining region. Commissioner : Léon Laval.

Michel Stoffel, president of the Cercle artistique de Luxembourg saves the situation by creating an exhibition entirely placed under the sign of tourism and art, with among others art works by Henri Rabinger, Jean-Pierre Beckius, Emile Probst, Joseph Meyers, Claus Cito, Lucien Wercollier and Auguste Trémont.

Inside, a model shows a futuristic vision of the development of the Kirchberg area.

The Grand Duchy is not present this time as an individual Nation. It occupies a space in the wooden pavilion rented by the young European Economic Community. Luxembourg shares the space with France, Germany, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands.

In the pavilion, the visitor is invited to pick up a telephone connected to a television set where he will hear a leader talking about a particular theme.

For the first time the country choses to exclusively use audio-visual media. Commissioner : Jean Hamilius.

Although located at 340 km from the sea, Luxembourg participates to pay tribute to the many Portuguese nationals who work in the country. This participation was designed by Jim Clemes.

The aim of the multimedia terrace is to reflect the modern information society.  The stand attracts one million people.

Commissioner : Johny Lahure

It is inspired by the translation of the word “Luxembourg” into Chinese, “Lusenbao”, which means “forest and fortress.” Under the theme “Small is beautiful too”, this pavilion illustrates the reality of the country and the people of Luxembourg.

For the time of the exhibition, the « Gëlle Fra », a sculpture by Luxembourg sculptor Claus Cito, moves from the city centre of Luxembourg to the front of the pavilion.

The Chinese immediately adopt the “Golden Lady of Luxembourg” with more than 7 million visitors. After the exhibition the pavilion is relocated to another Chinese site to be used as a design school and a virtual reality lab.

Commissioner: Robert Goebbels

The particularly innovative aspect of the Luxembourg Pavilion is reminiscent of the Möbius strip, an infinite shape that reflects the circular economy while maintaining a dynamic and open image on the world.

With the theme “Resourceful Luxembourg”, the Luxembourg Pavilion offers a global vision of the country and was considered one of the most popular pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The highlight of the pavilion was without a doubt the 3-storey slide, made of steel and plexiglass, a nod to the mythical “Schueberfouer” of Luxembourg.

Commissioner: Maggy Nagel