Sous les pavés, la nature
Laura Daco, Exhibition Curatorhibition “Sous les pavés, la nature”: Discover the diversity of life at the heart of our cities.
From 25 April to 19 October 2025, the Luxembourg National Museum of Natural
History invites you to explore the biodiversity that surrounds us through
the exhibition “Sous les pavés, la nature”.
Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to rise further in the coming decades.
Faced with this challenge, it is essential to rethink our relationship with the living world around us. The place of nature within our cities is the theme of the Naturmusée’s new exhibition. Come and discover it from 25 April to 19 October 2025.
Alongside the exhibition, there will be numerous talks, workshops, guided tours for adults and children, and activities to enjoy alone or with the family.
Thierry Helminger and Laura Daco, the two curators of the exhibition and both conservators in the Botany Section of the National Museum of Natural History, share the details below.
What is the exhibition about?
The central theme is biodiversity in an urban environment.
Supporting biodiversity is a major challenge. The development,
preservation and enhancement of urban green spaces are part of the response to this issue.
The exhibition aims to raise awareness of this challenge.
Across five interactive rooms, visitors will discover a wide range of species that live and adapt within the habitats created by our cities, the benefits they provide, and why their conservation is crucial.
The exhibition ‘Sous les pavés, la nature’ aims to show how, alongside humans, all kinds of different species – mammals, birds, insects, plants – can survive and thrive in urban environments. To do this, we highlight various aspects of urban biodiversity, including the adaptations shown by certain species.
Laura Daco, Exhibition Curator
In point of fact, many habitats — some of which may surprise us — exist between houses and beneath the concrete. The best known are parks, gardens and green areas… but that is not all. The exhibition guides visitors through other, less obvious but equally important habitats: roads and pathways, waterways, the gaps between walls…
There are remarkable examples of life adapting to the urban environment. Some bird species, for instance, sing more loudly in cities and adjust their frequencies to compete with ambient noise. Another example is white clover, which produces hydrogen cyanide to defend itself against herbivores: in urban populations, this ability is gradually disappearing because predator pressure is lower. This adaptation perfectly illustrates how plant species can evolve rapidly in response to urban conditions.
Five interactive rooms to explore nature in our cities
The exhibition route illustrates the importance of nature in the city from the perspectives of health, planning, food, aesthetics and well-being.
A first room explores the relationship between nature and the city, between the vegetal and the mineral. What green spaces exist in cities? Why is this biodiversity important? Why do we need it? What impact does vegetation have on our health? All these questions will be addressed.
A second room explains the links between different natural zones: green areas (parks, gardens, urban forests, etc.), blue areas (rivers, lakes, canals, etc.), and black areas (dark corridors without light), and their roles. This will be an opportunity to discover the full diversity of habitats that exist within a city, to understand their usefulness, and to appreciate the importance of maintaining and protecting them.
In Luxembourg, these zones are taken into account in urban planning. In the north of the country, an action plan has been developed to reduce light pollution and facilitate the movement of nocturnal species.
A third room examines biodiversity in urban planning. It reveals the connections woven between nature and architecture, and the future prospects of this essential relationship. How can nature be integrated into construction? What are the advantages of a green roof or a living wall?
We are in contact with the developers of several construction projects. Major projects will be undertaken over the coming decades. It is important to take biodiversity conservation into account at the planning stage.
Thierry Helminger, Exhibition Curator
Another major theme explored in the exhibition is the nourishing function of urban nature, illustrated through the example of hydroponics (Infobox). Hydroponics is a modern alternative to traditional agriculture that enables efficient and sustainable plant cultivation outside the soil, in an aquatic environment.
The challenge of urban agriculture is to use the limited, often vertical space available in creative ways. There are many advantages: shorter transport distances, shared resources, the development of a local economy… All of this deserves careful thought in a context of rapid urbanisation.
Laura Daco, commissaire de l’exposition
To conclude, a visual and sound installation allows visitors to experience the impact of biodiversity in an urban environment.
Through these five rooms, the public is free to explore the desire to create a different kind of society by rethinking the relationship between humans and nature.
A varied and wide ranging programme
Numerous activities and talks are offered as part of the exhibition. Every Tuesday evening, a different theme will be explored, covering subjects as varied as music, meditation, architecture or photography, with contributions from, among others
Roland Günter, renowned botanical photographer.
The Science Club will welcome teenagers, the Panda Club the youngest visitors, and the Créativelo initiative will travel through the city raising awareness of the exhibition’s themes.
Major issues at stake
The exhibition addresses a major challenge: raising public awareness of the preservation and cultivation of urban green spaces, enabling better coexistence between humans and nature.
Some studies show that green spaces promote health and well-being. This is one of the key topics explored in the exhibition. Reduced cardiovascular risk, improved sleep and better overall health are concrete benefits of preserved biodiversity.
Thierry Helminger, Exhibition curator
Urban green spaces also help regulate the climate of cities and cool them during heatwaves. An exhibition not to be missed.
Author : Diane Bertel
Editors : Monique Kirsch (MNHN), Selma Weber (MNHN)
