Museum December 44
The museum was created in the town of La Gleize in a historic building where, during the war, the first aid center of the Waffen SS unit commanded by Obersturmbannfuhrer Jochen Peiper was stationed. The museum is entirely dedicated to the Battle of the Bulge. It is believed that while the Americans won the Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne, the Germans lost it at La Gleize. The 800 surviving soldiers under Peiper's command, surrounded by American forces, abandoned 135 armored vehicles, including the largest tank of World War II. Nowadays, this 69-tonne Royal Tiger, The most valuable exhibit of the museum, established in 1989, is the only tank in Europe that participated in the Battle of the Ardennes and is exhibited in the place where it fought.
La Gleize - a witness to the history of World War II
The museum's 1,000 square meters of space contain over 5,000 artifacts related to the Ardennes offensive. There are lots of weapons, uniforms, maps, radios, war documents and private letters. The exhibitions describe not only the fighting, but also the war crimes committed by German soldiers who shot civilians and prisoners of war. The largest massacre took place in the town of Baugnez. The Germans shot 87 American prisoners there, leaving their bodies in the snow. Obersturmbannfuhrer Jochen Peiper was directly responsible for this crime and was sentenced to death after the war, later commuted to fifteen years in prison. There is a monument in Baugnez commemorating this event.
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Adres:
Rue de L'eglise 7b 4987 La Gleize |
Opening hours:
January-December: Wednesday-Sunday: 10.00-18.00 July-August: Monday-Sunday: 10.00-18.00 |
Fare:
9 euros |