Eine Gedenk-Wanderung in Bastogne

All the memorial sites of Bastogne in one tour; plus beautiful paths and very diverse nature. We had everything: fields, meadows, pastures, coniferous forests. We could enjoy the beautiful distant views and the sun, and in the forest the spicy scent of conifers. Also, cows and horses along the way 😍 A wonderful tour in the best weather ☀️ We particularly liked the Bois de la Paix. Truly a beautifully designed memorial site, you can sit and reflect here. It is wonderfully quiet there.

This 18 km hike leads to the traces of the cruel Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944. Bastognes history is closely linked to the Second World War. There the Americans stopped the last German offensive.

Towards the end of World War II, the Battle of the Bulge began in 1944, but was halted in the Bastogne area by the superior American forces. This hike, offered by the tourist association, follows the traces of the gruesome Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944/1945. The starting point is the parking lot on Mardasson Hill, at the memorial of the same name. Inaugurated in 1950, Mardasson commemorates the American victims of the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945. The monument is shaped like a five-pointed star. The points are 31 meters long. The story of the battle is inscribed in gold lettering on the walls of the open gallery. A staircase leads to a walkway. From there, you have a panoramic view of the defensive positions held during the attack on the city. There is an attached museum with a cafeteria, etc. I didn't go there today, but I did a few years ago. I remember the exhibition as being worth seeing, thorough, factual, and without any significant glorification. Things are different in the shop, of course. The tour isn't just about battles, battlefields, winners, and losers. It's also about grief, remembrance, reconstruction, and commemoration. From the memorial, the tour continues through the villages of Neffe and Bizary to the Peace Forest. The Bois de la Paix (in English: Forest of Peace) covers three hectares and has a total of 4,000 trees typical of the Bastogne Plateau. From a bird's eye view, the forest represents the UNICEF emblem – a mother and child, a symbol of all-encompassing tenderness. Signs depict "Martyr Cities of Peace" or cities with special events. A translation app might be helpful here, as only one was also available in German. At the foot of many of the trees, American veterans placed a plaque with their names and units upon their return to Bastogne. Then we head to the village of Foy. The chapel also appears in the TV series "Band of Brothers." Not far from Foy lies the small village of Recogne, where fierce fighting took place during the Battle of the Bulge. The Recogne German Military Cemetery is home to 6,807 German soldiers, aged 17 to 52, who died during World War II. Nearby is a memorial to the American cemetery that used to be located here. From Foy, we return to the starting point. We pass through a fenced-in wooded area. There, preserved foxholes (maps are available in the museum) are displayed. The area is of personal interest to me, so I was grateful for the offer from the tourist office. The tour leads through forests, along field paths, and along smaller connecting roads. I was actually able to see foxes, deer, and a few black-tailed kites. There are also some views of the hilly landscape dominated by agricultural pasture farming. The route itself is fine, so unfortunately, small gravel and tarmac are so frequent that it's more of a tour for cyclists.