© Bastogne War Museum

Bastogne War Museum

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Key events of the war and the combatants' ordeal are reproduced in the exhibition with the aim of highlighting and explaining the broad sweep of its history.The museum provides a special focus on how the civilians lived during the occupation, during the battle itself and afterwards. Opened on 22 March 2014, this memorial centre is located on the former Bastogne Historical Centre site, nearby the Mardasson Memorial. Visitors follow the stories of four fictional characters during their visit: a 13-year old boy, a school teacher, a Corporal of the 101st US Airborne Division and Hans Wegmüller, a German Lieutenant of the 26th Volksgrenadier division. Their stories are based on real events and characters.Three ‘scenovisions’, real multisensory 3D scenes, give the visitors the opportunity to relive the past. First they will find themselves in the Allied General Headquarters in southern England in June 1944. The second flashback places the visitors on the edge of the Ardennes forest. Shortly afterwards they can experience critical moments inside a local café surrounded by local people, while outside the shells continue to explode: a total immersion in the very heart of the conflict.In 2022, the museum’s experience was enriched with an extension focusing on the aftermath of the war, and the long-term consequences for the region and the entire continent. <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NNhboV1KdoY?showinfo=0" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Belgium 

The Bastogne War Museum represents a new way to remember the Second World War in Belgium. It offers a fresh perception in a modern and interactive framework of the causes, events and consequences of the Second World War, with a special focus on the Ardennes counteroffensive: the Battle of the Bulge.

The Bastogne War Museum covers the Second World War, from its beginning up to autumn 1944, with a special focus on the Battle of the Bulge. Key events of the war and the combatants' ordeal are reproduced here with the aim of clarifying the broad sweep of its history. The museum provides a clear picture of how the civilians lived during the occupation, during the battle itself and afterwards.

Opened on 22 march 2014, this new memorial center, housed in a brand-new building, is located on the former Bastogne Historical Centre site. Three ‘scenovisions’, real multisensory 3D scenes, give you the opportunity to relive the past. First you will find yourself in the Allied General Headquarters in southern England in June 1944. The second flashback places you on the edge of the Ardennes forest. Shortly afterwards you experience everything you would expect at a true-to-life table in a café. You are surrounded by the local people, while outside the shells continue to explode: a total immersion in the very heart of the conflict.

The Museum is located just a stone's throw away from the Mardasson Memorial, that was inaugurated in 1950 to bear witness to Belgium’s gratitude to the American soldiers who risked or lost their lives on Belgian soil. The monument takes the form of a star. Engraved in gold lettering, the story of the battle can be read on the walls of the open gallery. A walkway situated at the summit offers the visitor a panoramic view of the defensive positions held during the siege of the town. The Memorial is endowed with a crypt, decorated with a mosaic by the French artist Fernand Léger.

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Bastogne War Museum

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