Étienne Lenoir: the first engine comes back to life at the Slate Museum

As part of the European Heritage Days, the Slate Museum highlights Étienne Lenoir and brings his industrial legacy back to life through an exceptional live demonstration of his historic engine.

As part of the European Heritage Days, the Slate Museum hosts an exhibition dedicated to Étienne Lenoir, an inventor born in 1822 in Mussy-la-Ville, then part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

A pioneer of the modern automobile, Étienne Lenoir developed the first internal combustion gas engine and presented the “Hippomobile” in 1863, one of the world’s earliest motor vehicles.

.

The Étienne Lenoir Foundation will present a functional reconstruction of this historic engine, which will be operated for a weekend in the museum’s former slate sawmill. This exhibition pays tribute to a major figure in industrial history and highlights the foundation’s efforts to preserve this exceptional heritage shared between Luxembourg and the Arlon region.

.

Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Slate Museum, Haut-Martelange

For more information, please contact: backoffice@ardoise.lu

This event is organised as part of the European Heritage Days 2026.