Echoing the programming of Esch2022, the CNA wants to take the documents to the places where they were filmed, recorded or photographed to confront them with memories and elicit reactions from the inhabitants of the region. With that aim, emblematic sites in six municipalities in the south of Luxembourg have been selected in order to create an itinerary around visual and sound archives that will be highlighted by a set of special events. Be sure to check out our route so as not to miss our visit near you!

our archive. living the past
What is an archive?
An archive is a collection of documents that are of particular interest in the cultural, societal, economic, historical or scientific field. As such, whatever their date, format or medium, they are considered worthy of being collected and kept for the long term as traces testifying to an action, a period or a given event.
As part of the missions entrusted to it, the CNA aims to collect and preserve audiovisual works (film, photographs and sound recordings) as well as documents that contextualize them. This activity focuses on Luxembourgish works and those with a link to Luxembourg. The documents in the CNA's main collection are produced by media professionals and artists as well as by amateurs.
Learn more about the Centre national de l'audiovisuel here.
Why is archiving documents properly so important?
Archives are a link between the past, present and future. As such, the creation of the CNA testifies to the clear and deliberate desire to have a single and centralized place responsible for the conservation and promotion of the audiovisual heritage (animated image, photography and sound) of Luxembourg. With archives taking on increasingly varied forms and incorporating new media, driven by the possibility that the latest technological and digital innovations offer, the CNA also has a pedagogical mission to educate the public about these new means of communication which make it possible to describe the present, preserve the past and prepare for the future.
Have a look at the CNA's missions here.
How to participate in the collection of archives?
The first mission of the CNA is to ensure the safeguarding of the national audiovisual heritage by legal or voluntary deposit, donation or purchase of audiovisual, cinematographic, sound and photographic documents, produced on the national territory and made available to the public whatever their technical production, publishing or distribution process may be.
You therefore have the possibility of helping the CNA to collect new documents, produced by you or which have come into your possession by resorting to a deposit, a donation or a bequest. They will enrich the existing archive collections.
Discover how to contribute to the collective memory by sharing your documents here.
your story building the present.
- CNA on Tour Coming to meet youLearn more
- Stëmme vun der Schmelz Explore the legacies of the past
As part of the 'our archive. your story.' project and on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Waassertuerm+Pomhouse site, the CNA wishes to honor the industrial past of the region and its workers by proposing an immersive multimedia exhibition combining testimonials, historical documents and artistic creation based around the former iron and steel plant of Dudelange.
Learn more - online collection Dive into the origins of the present
The CNA archives render a small curated selection of its collection available online just waiting to be explored, consulted, commented on, shared and used to understand the present, to illustrate the great moments that have made Luxembourg what it is today.
Learn more
Welcome to our column 'In conservation with CNA'!
Your photographs and your personal documents are testimonies of the history of your family, of the events that have punctuated it and of everything that makes it unique. It would therefore be a shame to lose them, especially since they could interest future generations and bring them memories and valuable information about the past.
Here we use short and easy to follow tutorials to teach you how to take care of your own at-home archive and save our audiovisual heritage one document at a time.
Ready? Let's archive!
News discover what's on.

Check out our new tutorial
Have a look at out the latest tutorial from our 'in conservation with cna' series - How to preserve your sound documents!

Exhibition 'nos coups de coeur'
On the occasion of our project 'our archive. your story.', the CNA presents the personal favorites of its personnel in a special exhibition.

Erzielt emol… een Zäitzeientreff.
The CNA is offering free tours of the exhibition 'Stëmme vun der Schmelz' guided by one of the 19 witnesses who worked on the site of the 'Diddelenger Schmelz' and contributed to this exhibition.