Bastnach – History, Culture and Active Exploration

Bastnach is a destination for anyone who wants to experience history not only in display cases, but also at tangible sites. Museums, memorial sites, historical walking tours, and cycling and hiking routes make a variety of day plans possible; the forest on the Bastogne plateau adds to the landscape. Those travelling with children can plan interactive activities and a family-friendly tour; those who prefer to stay active will find signposted cycle paths and cycling and hiking routes connected with the Battle of the Bulge.

Museums and memorial sites around Bastogne

The Bastogne War Museum is dedicated to the Second World War, with a particular focus on the Battle of the Bulge. Three multisensory shows turn the visit into an immersive experience. Interactive stations are aimed at young visitors and school groups. In addition, Bastogne Barracks displays a unique French B1 Bis tank in the “Mechanised Warfare” hall. In the buildings that now house Bastogne Barracks, General McAuliffe rejected the German demand for Bastogne’s surrender during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944.

The Bastogne War Rooms are a particularly striking stop. They contain McAuliffe’s historic cellar, where General McAuliffe responded to the German demand for surrender on 22 December 1944 with his famous “NUTS”. Immersive scenographic elements recreate the decisive events that took place here. Admission to the Bastogne War Rooms is included in the admission ticket for the Bastogne War Museum.

The Mémorial du Mardasson was built as a war memorial commemorating the Battle of the Bulge. The Bois Jacques and its Fox Holes also preserve authentic traces of the battle. A mobile augmented-reality application allows visitors to explore the battlefield remains; the experience also conveys the everyday life of the Easy Company soldiers in the Fox Holes. The 101st Airborne Museum presents more than 20 dioramas, as well as authentic objects, weapons, uniforms, and equipment, across four levels. The “Generations45” experience accompanies an American and a German veteran through European history from 1945 to 1989, from the ruins of Bastogne to the Berlin Wall.

Guided tours and independent routes

For a deeper exploration of the historic terrain, Bastogne Memorial organises guided battlefield tours throughout the year on request. A family option is available for groups of 2 to 8 people, including children, and lasts approximately two hours. The 101st Airborne Museum also offers guided battlefield tours with explanations at the sites where the fighting took place. This makes it possible to plan the day as a guided tour or combine it with independent museum visits.

Those who want to discover Bastnach on foot can choose the “Bastogne d’autrefois” town walk. The route is 3.7 km long and is explained by 16 illustrated information panels. Another historical walking tour runs from Place McAuliffe via Gare du Sud and the Monument des Barons de Crawhez to the Porte de Trèves. Bastogne also has four cycling and hiking routes connected with the Battle of the Bulge. Five signposted cycle routes are available in the municipality of Bastogne. Bastogne-Bike rents mountain bikes, electric mountain bikes, e-bikes, city bikes, cargo bikes, tandems, and bicycles for children.

Town history, religious architecture and landscape

There is also plenty to discover in the townscape beyond the history of the war. The Quartier Latin takes its name from a Latin school founded in Bastogne by the Trinitarians in 1664; the Trinitarians had been established in Bastogne since 1242. The Musée de la Grande Ardenne is housed in the former Bethléem Convent, founded in 1628 by Récollectine nuns from Dinant.

The Église Saint-Pierre has a 12th-century baptismal font made of Meuse limestone, which is attributed to Romanesque art. Its polychrome vault was painted in 1536; the painting is attributed to an artist from the region. The nearby crypt houses three altars: a Catholic, a Protestant, and an Israelite altar. A forest on the Bastogne plateau provides a contrasting landscape. It covers 3 ha and contains approximately 4,000 trees of species found on the Bastogne plateau.

Which accommodation suits your travel plans?

When searching for a holiday apartment in Bastnach, it helps to decide in advance what you want to focus on. For several days of museum visits and the historical town walk, culture and town history are the main priorities. If you plan to take a guided battlefield tour or explore the area by bicycle, you should choose the accommodation’s location according to the starting points you want to include in your daily itinerary. The various options allow for both focused days of historical exploration and a varied combination of museums, walking tours, cycling routes, and forest.

For other destinations in the surrounding area, you can also include Noville, Longvilly and Engreux in your search.

For the higher-level travel overview: Luxembourg.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Nassogne, La Roche-En-Ardenne, Saint-Léger, Humain, Rendeux.