In cities across Europe, a movement is underway to reclaim and celebrate the often-overlooked contributions of women and marginalized communities. From Manchester to Reykjavík, innovative walking tours are shedding light on forgotten stories and re-incorporating female legacies into the popular tourist narrative. These tours not only enrich our understanding of history but also highlight the ongoing struggle for gender equality and representation.

Manchester: The Feminist Tour of Manchester

Manchester has long been associated with the struggle for gender parity, particularly through the suffragette movement led by figures like Emmeline Pankhurst. Yet, the city's civic recognition of these trailblazing women has historically been muted. When Pankhurst's statue, titled "Rise Up, Women," was unveiled in 2018, it became the first statue of a woman in a public space since Queen Victoria's monument in 1905. Even now, only four city-center statues honor named women, compared to 18 of men.

To counter this imbalance, the Feminist Tour of Manchester was launched by Invisible Cities, a social enterprise dedicated to uncovering hidden histories. The self-guided walking route explores the stories of impactful women and historically marginalized LGBTQ+ figures. Among the highlights are Mary Fildes, a 19th-century birth control activist, and Enriqueta Rylands, the founder of the John Rylands Library and the first woman to receive the Freedom of the City of Manchester.

The tour also stops at the Peterloo Massacre Memorial, which commemorates the victims of a peaceful working-class protest that turned violent, and in Chinatown, where the story of author Alicia Little is told. Little's work helped change the status of women's rights in British marital law. "People have a feeling that there is feminist history in Manchester, but they can't pinpoint what it is," says Zakia Moulaoui Guery, founder of Invisible Cities. "It's not too late to retrieve those stories or to have more of that representation."

Reykjavík: Reykjavík Feminist Walking Tour

Iceland regularly tops the World Economic Forum's gender gap index, yet its capital, Reykjavík, has historically lacked public recognition of its pioneering women. Tinna Eik Rakelardóttir, a resident of Reykjavík, launched the Reykjavík Feminist Walking Tour after being inspired by a similar tour in Ljubljana. The tour explores 200 years of Iceland's drive for gender equality, providing context from Rakelardóttir's experience as a woman in contemporary Icelandic society.

Participants learn about Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the world's first democratically elected female president, alongside lesser-known women and marginalized groups whose influence on gender progress should be more visible. The tour begins in the Mæðragarður neighborhood and concludes at the historic Kvennskólinn (Reykjavík Women's Gymnasium). "We should know what methods they used and let those stories inspire us," says Rakelardóttir.

Prague: Prague Feminist Tours

French gender and science researcher Averil Huck noticed a glaring absence of female representation when she moved to Prague. Only 5% of street names honoring individuals reference women. To address this, Huck launched Prague Feminist Tours in 2023. Her tour, "To the Roots of Czech Women's Emancipation," takes participants through the city's historic streets, highlighting landmarks like the Charles Bridge, National Theatre, and Old Town Square while telling the stories of those who fought for education, careers, and voting rights in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Huck has since launched additional tours, including one held on All Souls' Day (November 2) at the Olšany Cemeteries. Participants visit the graves of nine important female historical and cultural figures, lighting candles and leaving flowers. "I like to do it in the fall because this cemetery is really overgrown with nature and the colors become beautiful," says Huck. "We stop in front of their graves and tell the stories of these people."

London: Women of London Tours

London's East End is infamous for its association with criminals like Jack the Ripper, but it has also been home to influential women such as Mary Wollstonecraft, often dubbed Britain's first feminist, and textile designer Anna Maria Garthwaite. Women of London, a tour company founded by Becky Laxton-Bass, spotlights these figures and countless others who inhabited the neighborhood from the 1660s to the 1940s. The tours analyze how these women lived and the social issues they faced.

Laxton-Bass also runs walking tours of Westminster and Bloomsbury, unearthing women's stories rarely told by traditional tours. "I think it's an area of London lots of people don't really know, so it attracts both locals and tourists," says Laxton-Bass. "My hope is that people realize that women's history is everywhere."

Paris: Feminists in the City

Julie Marangé launched her first walking tour in Paris after being disappointed by the French reaction to the #MeToo movement. This led to the creation of Feminists in the City, which now operates in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Marseille. The tours spotlight women through history and culture via walking tours, conferences, and masterclasses.

One of the most popular tours is "The Witch Hunt: Powerful Women of Paris," which uncovers the stories of women accused of sorcery from the Middle Ages onwards. Another tour centers on female sexual liberation in the lively streets of the Pigalle neighborhood, delving into the rebellious roots of the French can-can dance and the story of the Moulin Rouge's first known female clown, Cha-U-Kao.

Marangé collaborates with historian and women's rights specialist Claudine Monteil, a close friend of the legendary feminist Simone de Beauvoir. "We're not re-writing history; we are just telling a different story," says Marangé. "It's about making women visible in the story of humanity."

Amsterdam: Women of Amsterdam Tour

Amsterdam's modern feminist history is closely tied to Anne Frank, the Jewish diarist who spent over two years hidden in a secret annexe during World War Two. Anne Frank's House receives over one million visitors annually, but the city has many other female legends waiting to be discovered.

Martine Bontjes' Women of Amsterdam tour explores the city's historic center, highlighting the work of pioneering figures such as Lijsbeth Vaas, an 18th-century undercover police officer. Bontjes, whose viewpoint is also inspired by her grandmother's experiences as a woman securing financial independence in post-WW2 Amsterdam, launched her popular tour in 2022. "It's something that so many women are now connected to, since there are so many laws under pressure," she says. "I believe that this really is the time for women to come together and to share stories."

A Movement for Representation and Inspiration

These feminist walking tours are more than just historical excursions; they are a movement for representation and inspiration. By uncovering the stories of women and marginalized communities, these tours challenge traditional narratives and highlight the ongoing struggle for gender equality. They remind us that history is not just about the famous figures we learn about in textbooks but also about the countless individuals whose contributions have shaped our world.

Whether you're exploring the suffragette history of Manchester, the gender equality movement in Reykjavík, or the emancipation efforts in Prague, these tours offer a deeper understanding of the past and a renewed appreciation for the progress made. They also serve as a call to action, encouraging us to continue the fight for representation and equality in our own lives.

In a world where women's stories are often overlooked, these feminist walking tours are a powerful reminder that every voice matters. By making women visible in the story of humanity, they inspire us to create a more inclusive and equitable future.