In a country where more than half of the population has roots elsewhere, questions of belonging, identity, and shared heritage are part of everyday life. Luxembourg’s diversity is one of its greatest strengths, but it also raises an important question: How do people who arrive, pass through, or grow up here come to know the stories, symbols, and cultural references that shape the places they live in?
Through the Youth for Peace UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme, implemented by UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS), Young Leader Daniel Michels is responding to this question with Emblem Digital Souvenirs Luxembourg Passport, a project that invites people to discover culture by moving through it. The initiative turns monuments, museums, and everyday landmarks into entry points for learning, using digital art and storytelling to connect people to the places around them.
As part of the programme, Daniel received UNESCO training and mentoring, along with a grant that helped turn this idea into a concrete, public-facing initiative.
At the heart of the project is a free mobile application designed to invite residents and visitors to collect emblems linked to real locations across Luxembourg. Each emblem is a unique digital artwork created by an artist with a connection to the place. Alongside the artwork, users discover short narratives that highlight the cultural or historical significance of the site. The result is an active form of cultural exploration where people walk, discover, collect, and reflect.
I chose Gare Centrale because it represents transition. It is a place of daily routine and life-changing departures at the same time. Architecturally iconic yet emotionally fluid, the station embodies movement, anticipation, and connection. For me, it is not just a building — it is a threshold between here and elsewhere, between past and future
Ruth Lorang,Multidisciplinary Designer
Not all emblems focus on monuments – some capture the rhythm of daily life in the city. The emblem Plëss – Shared Moments at Place d’Armes celebrates the social heartbeat of Luxembourg. Located in the heart of Luxembourg City, this square evolved from a military parade ground into a bustling civic space. The music pavilion at its center has hosted concerts, public events, and countless everyday interactions over the decades. Rather than depicting the site as a monument, this Emblem highlights its social character, showing people sitting together, sharing time, and enjoying conversation – a celebration of the city’s shared moments and the everyday lives of its residents.
Emblem invites people to step outside and engage with local culture, residents, travelers, newcomers, and refugees, alike. By participating in the creation and collection of emblems and exploring local stories, everyone is encouraged to share their perspectives and see the city through unique points of view. This fosters dialogue, sparks curiosity about how others experience daily life in the same city, while celebrating the coexistence of culture and history.
From a pedagogical perspective, schools and educators can also use the emblems to explore history, identity, and diversity with their students, creating shared points of connection across differences and generations.
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/sparking-dialogue-luxembourgs-streets-one-emblem-time
