Last Friday, I had a meeting close to the Luxembourg airport and thought to myself that, this time, I would stop by the Luxembourg American Cemetery. I had never been despite calling Luxembourg my home-base for a few years now.
Walking around one cemetery always feels weird to me. On that day, I walked around 2 WWII cemeteries. The Luxembourg American Cemetery and the German Military Cemetery. Before that day I didn’t even know there was a German one.
Forewords
The words ‘visit’ and ‘cemetery’ don’t go hand in hand, in my opinion. I always feel weird about going into a cemetery or graveyard just to have look. I feel even worst taking pictures. Blogging about cemeteries is even more difficult.
Despite this, I know that remembering the soldiers who are buried there is important. Not forgetting the atrocities of the past could, maybe, prevent us from making the same mistakes over and over again. Maybe.
So I went to the Luxembourg American Cemetery and to the German Military Cemetery. I took pictures and I’m blogging about such visits against all odds. It’s hard.
You may think I should show the 2 cemeteries separately. I understand your point of view. Please do know that I’m not trying to compare them. I’m not trying, in any way, to make any sort of statement.
There are differences between the 2 cemeteries and I felt differently in both. Other people have ‘visited’ at different times of the year and felt differently. The way you and I react to a place is personal. The way we feel is personal. It is based solely on our experiences, our nature, our personalities.
So I’ll still be highlighting the differences between the 2. These are just facts, not judgements.
The Luxembourg American Cemetery
5,075 American soldiers and services members have been buried in the Luxembourg American Cemetery. There are 5,075 headstones. These include 118 shaped as stars to commemorate soldiers of Jewish faith. Only one woman is buried here, she was a nurse.
The American Cemetery was established in 1944, first as a temporary cemetery. It is managed by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
As you pass the cemetery gates, the path will lead you to the simple, yet monumental, non-sectarian chapel. In front of it lies the soldiers. On each side you will see gigantic battle maps as well as the walls of the missing.
As you walk toward the cemetery, and no matter how many times you’ve seen American cemeteries, the white marble headstones contrasting with the manicured lawn and the perfect alignment of such headstones, will pinch your heart. There are so many headstones. So many soldiers died. It’s heartbreaking.
The city of Luxembourg served as headquarters for General George S. Patton. His grave is in from of all the other graves, like if he was still watching over his men.
You are allowed to proceed on the lawn although I felt very uncomfortable walking around. How do you know you are not walking on someone’s grave?
In this moment, please remember that I’m French and that French cemeteries are completely different from American cemeteries. French ones can be messy and complicated to navigate. But most of the time, tombstones have very clear borders. And paths between tombs are well defined. American cemeteries are, to me, a mystery. Apart from when I was walking on the main paths that lead to the different plots, I had a hard time. It is weird to think that we all bury our loved ones but in such different ways.
The Luxembourg American Cemetery is surprisingly quiet considering it is only 3 miles from the airport. It felt very formal, very dignified. Probably very American.
The entrance of the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial
The German Military Cemetery
10,913 German soldiers have been buried in the German Military Cemetery, Twice as much as in the American cemetery. Despite this, you’ll notice that it is much smaller. It seems that each cross is marked with several names, at least 2 on each side.
More than half of the German soldiers were buried, during the war, by the American war graves service. The others were moved there in 1952 and were relocated from 150 different cemeteries throughout Luxembourg.
The German Military Cemetery is managed by the German War Graves Commission which a private charity.
The arrangement of the headstones is similar, with the same alignment. Yet the trees seems to break the pattern and give a total different atmosphere. The grey headstones were fading, in the shadow of the trees and mixing naturally with the environment.
Luxembourg was in the middle of heat wave when I went, and as you can tell, the lawn at the German cemetery isn’t taken care of, the same way as the lawn in the American cemetery. It has dried out in some places and looked a lot less ‘manicured’.
To me, the German Cemetery felt more natural. The trees, the shade, the benches, the smaller size… all gave a more modest look that I’m probably just more accustomed to. I’ve read comments from people who visited in winter and thought it was way too gloomy. Aren’t cemeteries supposed to be gloomy?!
The path to the Luxembourg German War Cemetery
As mentioned in the first paragraph, I didn’t know there was a German cemetery. I must have passed by the sign indicating the direction to it, countless times, without ever noticing. The German cemetery doesn’t make it onto guided tours, it seems.
If you’re going to the Luxembourg American Cemetery, you should also go to the German Military Cemetery as it is really close. It’s not to compare, it’s just to pay respect to all those men who lost their lives in a useless war.
The technical bits
The official website for all American Cemetery around the World including the Luxembourg one is www.abmc.gov
You will find there a lot of information and opening times.
The official website for the German Military Cemetery is www.volksbund.de. It doesn’t provide specific information on the cemetery located in Luxembourg, at least as far as I can tell (most of the site is in German). The German Military Cemetery doesn’t seem to have specific opening hours but I wouldn’t go there at night.
Both cemeteries are located in the same area, fairly close to the Luxembourg airport. About 1 mile away from one another.
Visiting Luxembourg?
I’ve created a map which will take you to the most beautiful castles of Luxembourg, the most gorgeous landscapes and everything I love. I apologize for not adding these cemeteries to it. I didn’t think of it when I created it. You can check the full itinerary here and download the map for free.
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