Vernissage OST exhibition: The vanished traces of the forced labourers from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus in Luxembourg 1942-1944

OST. This exhibition is about the forgotten young forced laborers who were brought to Belval – not to study, but to be exploited.

The OST exhibition, originally curated by Joëlla van Donkersgoed and supervised by Inna Ganschow, was on display at the CDMH in Dudelange. It is now being relocated to Belval in a different format and with adapted content to address the topic of the forced-labor camps near the Belval university campus.

Twenty posters designed by Kirill Mitsurov in the foyer of the MSA building on the university campus tell the story of young Ukrainians, Russians, and Belarusians. Using a map that marks six camps near the university campus as well as two factories that used forced labor, students and visitors are made aware of a difficult chapter in Luxembourg’s past. The forgotten and overlooked victims of Nazism gaze from the posters – bearing their camp numbers and the OST insignia on their chests – at their peers in the 21st century. Years later, three of them talk about their life in the barracks in Luxembourg in video and audio recordings available in the exhibition.

For guided tours and school visits, please contact c2dh@uni.lu