Luxembourg City hosts regional conference of the Organization of World Heritage Cities
The City and Shaaf Milani-Nia, UNESCO site manager for "Luxembourg City: Its Old Quarters and Fortifications", welcomed guests to the 2025 regional conference of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC), which took place from Monday, 22 September to Wednesday, 24 September 2025 in Luxembourg City. This conference, whose theme was "Living Heritage: Designing Human-Centred Cities for the Future", drew representatives from 24 cities along with delegations from UNESCO headquarters in Paris and from the Luxembourg Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO; several members of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS); representatives from the University of Luxembourg, LUGA, national institutes connected to heritage, and City of Luxembourg departments; UNESCO site managers; and national and international political representatives.
Tuesday, 23 September
After a welcome day featuring visits to the Pétrusse Casemates, Lëtzebuerg City Museum, UNESCO Visitor Center and UNESCO Promenade, the conference officially kicked off on Tuesday, 23 September with welcome speeches by Luxembourg City Mayor Lydie Polfer; Mikhaël De Thyse, Secretary General of the OWHC; Wolfgang Dersch, Cultural Commissioner of the City of Regensburg; and Shaaf Milani-Nia of the City's Direction de l'architecte (Architecture Directorate) and UNESCO site manager.
The two conference days revolved around workshops on three themes:
- Short term: Human-centred design,
- Long term: Heritage as a bearer of the future,
- Medium term: Pop-up innovation labs.
The second day of the conference concluded with the meeting of the regional representatives of the OWHC member cities and a visit to LUGA and the Plateau du Rham/
Wednesday, 24 September
On a third, optional day, attendees had a chance to tour other projects related to world heritage in the capital, such as the Bock Casemates, Mansfeld Park with the remains of the castle, the panoramic elevator, the Muerbelsmillen and various sites in the Pfaffenthal district.
This gathering helped to deepen cooperation between the World Heritage Cities and provided a forum for attendees to share views on balancing urban design grounded in heritage within a context of world heritage and sustainable development. Driven by meaningful international dialogue, this conference marked an important step towards addressing the need to create spaces that encourage experimentation and urban listening, while confirming the role of heritage as a bearer of the future and contributing to the long-term improvement in quality of life within a context of world heritage.
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