Bombs and grenades: 5 tips in the Ardennes

Tanks, statues and memorials – you can't ignore them. During the Second World War, the Ardennes were a huge battle scene. You can't drive into a village without stumbling over an abandoned tank on a village square. And: there are almost more war museums than campsites. Check out these 5 tips in the Ardennes, which are worth a visit. 

Rolling hills, green forests, glittering rivers. The Ardennes are just two and a half hours away - a wonderful destination for campers. And: an area full of history. In such a peaceful landscape you can hardly imagine what happened here decades ago. The Ardennes were the setting of a huge battle scene in the Second World War, where Adolf Hitler tried in vain to stop the advance of the Allied troops after their landing on the Normandy coast during D-Day.

Tips in the Ardennes

In the harsh winter of '44-'45, more than forty thousand soldiers died, some as young as 18 years old. This made it one of the bloodiest battles of WWII - no wonder the Ardennes are teeming with memorials and museums. From the campsite you can make interesting excursions and you can even participate in special Battletours, visiting important places. For your next camping holiday we selected 5 tips that will give you goosebumps.

Tip-1 – Spotting tanks

The Ardennes are teeming with abandoned tanks. For example, in Grandmenil, Celles and Houffalize there are three German Panther tanks that were abandoned by the Germans. And in La Roche-en-Ardenne you can admire both a British Destroyer M10 and an American Sherman tank. A special one is the German Köningstiger in La Gleize: a monster weighing 69.000 kilos with armor plates up to 20 centimeters thick – no American bazooka could get through. Yet it was captured by the Allies: the Germans had to abandon it because they ran out of fuel...

Tip-2 – Bastogne War Museum

An impressive place is the Bastogne War Museum, which is built in the shape of a star. The same star that the Americans wore on their uniforms and tanks. Here you will learn everything about the 'Battle of the Bulge', where the Allied troops in Bastogne were completely surrounded by the Germans. Modern 3D techniques show you how the Allies were still able to defeat German superior power. Films and photos show the harsh winter conditions under which the soldiers had to fight.
(More information at: www.bastognewarmuseum.be)

Tip-3 Musée de la Bataille des Ardennes

An enormous collection of rifles, pistols and revolvers: you will find it in the Musée de la Bataille des Ardennes in La-Roche-en-Ardenne. Here is the famous decoding device 'Enigma' that the German Wehrmacht used to translate secret messages. On three floors you can see 120 dolls, in uniforms of the American, English, Scottish and German troops. Including the combat jacket of Lieutenant Colonel Cathaert: the commander of the 7th Battalion Black-Watch, part of the 51st Scottish Highland Division that liberated La Roche-en-Ardenne from the Germans on January 11, 1945.
(More information at: www.batarden.be)

Tip-4 Military Cemeteries

It is shocking: 40.000 soldiers died during the Ardennes offensive. There is a separate spot for them in every cemetery, but there are also many military cemeteries. Like with Hotton. 666 soldiers are buried here, including 526 British, 88 Canadians, 41 Australians, 10 New Zealanders, a Polish soldier and an 18-year-old Belgian from the 53rd Welsh Division. The largest American cemeteries are located in Hombourg and Neupré, together with more than 13.000 fallen soldiers. There are also cemeteries for German soldiers, such as in the village of Eupen. If you book a 'Battle tour' (from 12 years) you will learn everything about the Battle of the Ardennes and visit the most important battlefields.
(More information at: www.battlefieldtours.nu en www.regjans.com)

Tip-5 Museum Baugnez 44

We find a fairly new museum just outside Malmedy: 'Baugnez 44' is a tribute to 84 American soldiers who were disarmed and executed in a meadow on December 17, 1944, at the intersection of Baugnez, near Malmedy. This happened after the paratroopers had surrendered to a German SS Kampfgruppe after being trapped during heavy fighting. A few soldiers survived by playing dead in the snow. A film about the mass murder is shown in the museum and survivors and eyewitnesses speak out.
(More information at: www.baugnez44.be)

Bonus: camping tip

Parc La Clusure is a 4,5-star family campsite in the Ardennes. The shallow river Homme flows along the site (300 pitches). Swimming pool, bistro, luxury restaurant and brown café with Belgian beer tastings. Animation program for children and extensive activities for teenagers: mountain biking, abseiling, paintball, campfire evenings and ghost tours. The campsite has its own supermarket and has WiFi, an American diner (bistro) and a campsite restaurant. Free WIFI.
(More information at: www.parclaclusure.be)

Camping Parc La Clusure is located at Chemin de la Clusure 30, in Bure (municipality of Tellin, postal code 6927), Belgium. Route from Brussels: highway A4 (E411), then exit 23a Tellin. Keep in mind Tellin, then Bure. Follow the camping signs. From Maastricht: A25 past Liège, then N63, N836 and N803 to Tellin. Follow the camping signs.