Introduction
Motivated by the observation that, in Luxembourg as a whole, the number of streets named after women is far fewer than those named after men, the "Affichons l'égalité" gender equality initiative, launched by the Conseil national des femmes du Luxembourg (National Women's Council of Luxembourg), seeks to raise public and political awareness of the need to increase the visibility of deserving women in the public space.
As a staunch promoter of gender equality, the City is taking part in this project by giving eights streets honorary new names as a tribute to deserving women from various backgrounds. These trailblazers challenged gender stereotypes and helped reshape Luxembourg society. In Luxembourg City, 401 streets are named after men, but only 54 are named after women – a major disparity that the City plans to rectify in the coming years.
The streets chosen are all close to the Geesseknäppchen Campus in order to raise awareness among the students who often travel these streets on their way to school.
The City of Luxembourg – which is intent on shaping a fairer and more equal society – acknowledges that equality between women and men, and girls and boys, is a fundamental right, and that the many forms of discrimination and obstacles people face must be taken into account to achieve gender equality in all spheres of life. To this end, the City has formulated a multi-year action plan setting out guidelines for the implementation of its policy on gender equality, based on the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life. For the day-to-day implementation of this policy, the City is supported by a Gender Equality Officer – whose role is to ensure that the policy is structured and sustainable – and its Commission consultative pour l'égalité entre femmes et hommes (Advisory Committee on Gender Equality).
Organiser(s):
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Collège des bourgmestre et échevins
- CNFL – National Council of Women of Luxembourg (only in French)
Rue Netty Probst
Netty Probst (1903–1990)
Netty Probst was sworn in as a lawyer in 1927 at the age of 24. When the Supreme Court magistrates refused to admit her to the Luxembourg Bar Association because she was a woman, her colleagues, in a show of solidarity, refused to take their oaths until this stance was reversed.
Netty Probst specialised in matters of divorce – which were rare at the time – and offences committed by women. In 1939, she took up the cause of married schoolteachers. One schoolteacher, who was promptly dismissed after she got married, appealed to the disputes commission of the Council of State (Conseil d'État). Netty Probst defended her. In its ruling of 26 April 1939, the Council of State declared that the dismissal of the schoolteacher was unlawful.
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Rue Madeleine Frieden-Kinnen
Madeleine Frieden-Kinnen (1915–1999)
Madeleine Kinnen earned a doctorate in literature. In 1953, she founded the Organisation des femmes chrétiennes-sociales. Madeleine Kinnen was married to Pierre Frieden, a former Minister of State and Minister for Education who died in 1959. In 1967 she joined the reformed CSV-LSAP government and became the Secretary of State for Families, Youth and Education.
In 1968, a government crisis led to snap elections. Madeleine Frieden-Kinnen then became Minister of Family, Youth, Social Solidarity, Health, Culture and Religious Affairs. She was the first woman to serve as a government minister.
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Rue Béby Kohl-Thommes
Béby Kohl-Thommes (1923–2016)
Béby Kohl-Thommes was born in January 1923 in Carling, France. When she was five years old, her parents returned to their native country of Luxembourg, where she attended the conservatory while still at school. Shortly after she enrolled in the École normale, World War II descended on Luxembourg. Her experiences living under the German occupation inspired her first composition "O Letzeburg...".
In 1946, she entered the Geneva Conservatory, where she pursued her childhood dream of becoming a violinist before focusing on singing. In the 1970s she began composing more intensively. The first pieces she wrote when she was a student were followed by numerous children's songs, canons, choruses and other songs.
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Rue Marcelle Dauphin
Marcelle Dauphin (1893–1976)
Marcelle Dauphin was the first female dentist in Luxembourg. She opened her practice in Rue Notre-Dame in Luxembourg City in 1922. In the Mémorial du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg of 17 February 1940, she appears on the general list of people authorised to exercise a branch of the art of healing or a related profession.
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Rue Dr. Louise Welter
Dr Louise Welter (1897–1999)
Louise Welter was born on 15 October 1897. In the course of her training, she took three medical examinations – general medicine, surgery and obstetrics – and earned her medical degree in November 1923. Louise Welter was the first female physician in Luxembourg.
In July 1926, she became the school doctor of Luxembourg City. Because it was a brand-new position, she built the entire system from the ground up. She also introduced lessons in orthopaedic gymnastics to the schools. From normalising vaccination to fighting childhood malnutrition, Louise Welter fought on all fronts.
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Rue Isabella II d'Espagne
Isabella II of Spain (1830–1904)
Isabella II of Spain was born in Madrid on 10 October 1830 and became Queen of Spain at the age of three. In 1843, the young queen was declared an adult by the Spanish Parliament – known as the Cortes Generales – but remained under the influence of the members of the nobility, clergy, army and political class. Her reign was marked by political instability and social tensions.
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Rue Liliane Heidelberger
Liliane Heidelberger (1935–2019)
In 1971, Liliane Heidelberger staged her first exhibition at the Bruck gallery in Luxembourg City. The exhibition showcased her stone and bronze sculptures, linocuts and drawings. Her pieces were exhibited not only in Luxembourg but also in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Although Liliane Heidelberger found her niche in the Luxembourg art world with her sculptures, she was an expert in a range of artistic fields: she also created engravings, collages, drawings and jewellery.
In 2020, after her death, her monumental sculpture "Mascaret" was installed in the park of Villa Vauban – Musée d'Art de la Ville.
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Rue Marie-Élisabeth d'Autriche
Maria Elisabeth of Austria (1680–1741)
After Prince Eugene stepped down as governor in 1725, the 45-year-old Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria was appointed governor of the Austrian Netherlands, whose seat was in Brussels.
From 1717 to 1797, the Southern Netherlands – whose territory corresponds roughly to modern Belgium and Luxembourg – were part of Austria.
