Portes ouvertes du Cercle Cité

Location: Cercle Cité (entrance: Place d'Armes)

This year, Cercle Cité will open its doors to the public on 19 and 20 September 2026 for a weekend celebrating heritage and contemporary creation.

Throughout the weekend, guided tours in four languages and a creative workshop will invite visitors of all ages to explore the architectural history of this landmark building in the heart of Luxembourg City.

As they move through the building, visitors will embark on a journey through both space and time, discovering the many lives of Cercle Cité and the major historical milestones that have shaped its evolution.

This year's edition will also feature an exceptional collaboration with Luxembourgish choreographer Norah Noush. Created especially for the occasion, an original dance performance will explore the dialogue between the body and architecture, inviting audiences to experience the building as a living, responsive space. Through movement, visitors will be encouraged to see the building from a new perspective in a unique performance that will conclude each day of the event.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to discover the photography exhibition More than a Postcard. Luxembourg entre arrivée et depart., presented in the Ratskeller at Cercle Cité. Featuring photographs from the collections of the Photothèque de la Ville de Luxembourg, the exhibition traces the evolution of the way Luxembourg has been perceived since the nineteenth century, from its earliest visitors to today's forms of mobility, including tourism, travel, work and exploration. Between arrivals and departures, these images reveal a mosaic of stories and journeys that naturally resonate within this emblematic place of encounters and exchanges in the heart of the capital.

Far more than simply a historic building, Cercle Cité embodies the city's collective memory. Its architecture bears witness to the major turning points of Luxembourg's and Europe's history. Built between 1904 and 1905 on Place d'Armes, it played a central role in the city's social life at the beginning of the twentieth century. It also witnessed the dark years of the Nazi occupation, the celebrations marking Luxembourg's liberation, and the early stages of European integration by hosting meetings of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the forerunner of today's European Union.

Following an extensive renovation and extension project, the building reopened in 2011. The 2026 Open Days therefore celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of this renewal, marking an important new chapter in the history of Cercle Cité.

Today, Cercle Cité has become one of Luxembourg's leading cultural centres, continuing to foster a dialogue between heritage and contemporary creation. These Open Days offer a unique opportunity to rediscover this remarkable building through its history, its spaces and the curiosity of those who bring it to life.

WEEKEND PROGRAMME

Dance Performance.

THREADS / The Invisible Thread

An original choreographic creation by Norah Noush

• Saturday and Sunday at 5:00 PM

Drop-in Creative Workshop

En décke Kuss aus dem Cercle Cité !

A postcard inspired by memory, perspective and creativity

This creative workshop invites participants to rediscover Cercle Cité through photography, collage and image manipulation. Using historical and contemporary photographs of the building, everyone is invited to create a personalised postcard while exploring its architectural heritage through a fresh and imaginative perspective. An opportunity to observe differently, unleash creativity and give new meaning to familiar images.

• Drop-in workshop open to all, in FR / EN / LU / IT
• Saturday and Sunday, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Guided tours of the Cercle Cité Bel-Étage

Discover the history and architecture of the building.

On Saturday and Sunday

• From 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM - in LU/DE
• From 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM - in FR
• From 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM - in EN

Guided tours of the exhibition More than a Postcard. Le Luxembourg entre arrivée et départ

• Saturday 19.09.26 at 3:00 PM (FR) — with Christian Aschman
• Sunday 20.09.26 at 3:00 PM (EN) — with Keven Erickson

Free admission. All activities are free of charge and require no registration.

Organisation: Cercle Cité

Programming: Camilla Cuppini and Marion Vergin