It is with great pleasure that BGL BNP Paribas and the University of Luxembourg are today announcing the launch of a virtual exhibition, a project undertaken to mark the bank’s centenary year. The exhibition covers the history of BGL BNP Paribas from its beginnings in 1919 to today, as well as its role and participation in the economy and development of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Called “BGL: L’histoire d’un siècle”, the exhibition was designed and created in collaboration with the University of Luxembourg's Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH). It aims to give a modern, educational presentation of the bank's history in digital format that is accessible to a wide audience. The exhibition offers a variety of ways to find out more about the bank, such as a chronological overview in the form of an interactive timeline of the bank's history within the political and socio-economic context of the time; a map graphic showing the expansion in bank locations over time; and thematic files on the bank's architecture, brand and professions.

For this project, university researchers were able to access the bank’s archives to help them compile a dossier of texts, documents, images, photos and videos. The research project is also linked to a doctoral thesis on the history of BGL BNP Paribas in Luxembourg. It is scientifically important and relevant research for the historiography of the country given the significant role of BGL BNP Paribas as a catalyst in both the Luxembourgish economy and the development of Luxembourg as a financial centre.

At the launch of the virtual exhibition, Geoffroy Bazin, Chairman of BGL BNP Paribas’ Executive Committee and Country Head of the BNP Paribas Group in Luxembourg, said: “We are delighted to have worked with the University of Luxembourg as partners on this project. Researchers from the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History have drawn from the enormous amount of information available in our archives to present a structured and interactive summary, in digital format, that is accessible to a wide audience. Beyond this collaboration, the bank and the university also entertain other partnerships, notably with the SnT (Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust), in the areas of data, artificial intelligence and innovative financial solutions.”

Professor Andreas Fickers, Director of the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History, added: “The exhibition “BGL: L’histoire d’un siècle” created by C²DH is the fruit of the very successful cooperation between the University of Luxembourg and one of the key players in Luxembourg’s economy. Promoting university research in a largely unexplored area – the history of banks in Luxembourg – and supporting BGL in celebrating its centenary was the ambitious challenge of this collaboration. The virtual exhibition, a successful example of public history, that opens today is just the first step in a research project that will continue over the next four years.”

The virtual exhibition of 100 years of BGL BNP Paribas is accessible via the following link: depuis100ans.lu (supported by the latest versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Microsoft Edge).