For the museum planning, the biggest challenge was the collection: it did not yet exist. There were some interesting paintings in the municipality’s possession, but objects that would illustrate the actual history of the city were missing. Our initial situation was therefore quite unusual: the historical research had to take place in parallel with the object search. This was extremely time-consuming and problematic for the conception of the exhibition.

It was a great advantage in this situation to be able to draw on the collections of the National Museum of History and Art, which contained remarkable archaeological finds from Diekirch and the region. Among them were not only objects from recent excavations, but also from the first prehistoric collections in Luxembourg, gathered by the Diekirch persons Jos Herr and Jos Geiben.

A considerable part of the MH[s]D’s collection today consists of loans and donations from private individuals. The museum owes not only archaeological material, but also coins, postcards and a multitude of historical exhibits – witnesses of a long-forgotten everyday life – to their interest in (local) history. Intensive work in several archives finally brought to light revealing historical documents of the community, completing the collection.

The result is a collection that not only documents the social, economic and technical development of the society. It also gives us insights into the domestic culture, the way of life, religion and burial culture.