Nothum, Schumann

In the small village of Nothum, a grim chapter of history unfolds at the end of 1944. During the Battle of the Ardennes, the place becomes the scene of fierce fighting between December 27, 1944, and January 9, 1945. Initially, German soldiers occupy the houses of the village; later, American troops take over. Caught in the middle is the civilian population, suffering particularly under the difficult conditions. The memorial path Nothum 44/45 is an easy-to-walk circular route of 1.6 km length, with several stations recalling the events of that time. Those who take the time to read all the information boards and follow the accompanying audio materials should plan about an hour and a half. At each station, QR codes allow access to supplementary material – including eyewitness reports, archive photos, and historical audio or video recordings. This way, the events are not only documented but also experienced emotionally. www.naturpark-sure.lu/fr/offer/sentier-commemoratif-nothum-44-45

The Schumannseck was the site of the deadliest fighting of the Battle of the Ardennes. For several weeks, American soldiers and the German army faced each other in a deadly war of attrition. Thousands of lives were sacrificed. This place preserves the traces of the fighting that took place there from December 27, 1944, to January 21, 1945. The experience route leads through the still visible remains such as foxholes, trenches, and bomb craters. Along the innovative memorial path, there are 65 life-size silhouettes created based on original photographs from the time of the battle. These images were mostly taken at Schumannseck or in the nearby area. Some of these figures have been supplemented with color images of items from national collections. Reconstructions of military shelters, some located in old quartzite quarries, give an idea of the conditions under which soldiers and civilians tried to survive the merciless close-combat battles in the freezing winter. Using QR codes on the trilingual information panels (FR, EN, DE), visitors can access over 150 authentic and moving eyewitness accounts at 20 thematic stations, as well as new historical insights made available through audio and video recordings. The route covers 1.2 km (small loop) or 2.8 km (full circuit). Guided tours are available upon request.

During the Battle of the Bulge, the "Schumann's Eck" was a strategically important road junction, which unfortunately became one of the cruellest battlefields in Luxembourg. The "National Liberation Memorial" commemorates the thousands of soldiers that died in this battle. Another memorial called Massegraf (mass grave) is located on the spot where more than 160 German and some American soldiers were temporarily buried. A memorial trail of 3 kilometres leads through the forest past old, partly reconstructed trenches. Life-size historical photos of American and German soldiers as well as Luxembourg civilians at various stations illustrate the events of that time.