Luxembourg Commemorates 80th Anniversary of Liberation from Nazi Occupation

Luxembourg is commemorating the 80th anniversary of liberation from Nazi occupation during the Second World War with a series of events.

Nazi Germany occupied neutral Luxembourg in May 1940, with most of the country liberated by the Allies four years later, in September 1944. Pétange was the first town to be liberated on 9 September 1944, while Vianden was the last to be liberated on 12 February 1945.

To mark this 80th anniversary, various commemorative events are taking place across the country in the coming days.

Pétange

Pétange is holding a commemorative ceremony* on Monday 9 September 2024, in the presence of the Hereditary Grand Duke, Prince Guillaume, as well as Prime Minister Luc Frieden, Mayor Jean-Marie Halsdorf and other national and municipal authorities. In addition to being the first liberated town in September 1944, Pétange was also where the first US soldier (Hyman Josefson) was killed in action in Luxembourg during World War II; the town later dedicated a monument to the 2nd Lieutenant who lost his life there.

Luxembourg City

The capital was liberated by the 5th US Armored Division, under the command of General Lunsford E. Oliver, on 10 September 1944. 80 years on, the City of Luxembourg (Ville de Luxembourg) is holding a commemorative ceremony in Place d'Armes and at the Cercle Cité on Tuesday 10 September 2024. The ceremony will take place in the presence of the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Luxembourg City Mayor Lydie Polfer, Prime Minister Luc Frieden, Chamber of Deputies (Parliament) President Claude Wiseler, Defence Minister Yuriko Backes and Home Affairs Minister Léon Gloden, as well as descendants of General Oliver, among others. The commemorative event will continue with a parade of historic military vehicles. An academic session and an exhibition of historical documents are also on the agenda. An ensemble from the Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg will provide musical accompaniment.

Esch-sur-Alzette

The National Museum of Resistance and Human Rights (Musée National de la Résistance et des Droits Humains) in Esch-sur-Alzette is organising an open-air historical exhibition dedicated to the liberation from Nazi occupation. This free, public exhibition (EN/FR) is on display in Place de la Résistance (Brillplaz) from Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 September 2024.

Diekirch

The municipality of Diekirch, in cooperation with the Diekirch Museum of History (Musée d'Histoire(s) de Diekirch) and the National Museum of Military History (Musée National d'Histoire Militaire), is marking the 80th anniversary of the town's liberation by the 5th US Armored Division with a commemorative event on Wednesday 11 September 2024. On the agenda is the unveiling of an explanatory historical sign on Rue du XI Septembre, followed by a ceremony (speeches, wreath laying) at the US memorial in the municipal park and the opening of a dedicated historical exhibition.

Stolzembourg

A historical monument will be inaugurated to mark the occasion in Stolzembourg (municipality of Putscheid) on Wednesday 11 September 2024. It was in this small town exactly 80 years earlier that the Allied reconnaissance unit of the 5th US Armored Division (led by Sergeant Warner W. Holzinger) crossed the border into Germany for the first time during the war.

Weiswampach

This small town in northern Luxembourg will commemorate the liberation of September 1944 with a ceremony on Saturday 14 September 2024. Official speeches (including by government ministers) and honorary awards will take place at various historic sites (e.g. the Lancaster Memorial) throughout the afternoon.

Bettembourg

Bettembourg is holding a series of events to commemorate its liberation by US troops on 11 September 1944. The "Liberation Weekend" programme kicks off on Friday 13 September 2024 with a screening of Rick Beyer's documentary The Ghost Army (about the top-secret US Army tactical deception unit, stationed in Luxembourg for three months in 1944) at Ciné Le Paris at 20:00. The festivities continue with a "Liberation Party" in Place de l'Église on Saturday 14 September 2024 from 11:00 to 17:00. Also on the agenda on Saturday is a trip along the "Parcours de la Mémoire" (memory trail), which retraces significant events of the 1940-44 German occupation. On Sunday 15 September 2024, the Luxembourg Military Band will perform a "Liberation Concert", in collaboration with the Amstel Quartet, at the KulTourHaus.

Ettelbruck

Ettelbruck was liberated twice by Allied troops in 1944, first on 11 September and then again on 25 December. The town is holding its 80th anniversary events on Thursday 12 September, as well as on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 September 2024. On Thursday afternoon, Defence Minister Yuriko Backes, Culture Minister Eric Thill and Ettelbruck Mayor Bob Steichen will present the "Route de la Libération de l'Europe" (Liberation Route of Europe), a trail connecting people, places and events associated with the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation, to the press.

The programme on Saturday 21 September includes a US Army Band concert in Place de l'Église at 18:00; activities on Sunday 22 September include an interfaith ceremony at 10:30, a ceremony in Patton Square at 15:00, a military parade around 16:00 and a concert by the Philharmonie Grand-Ducale et Municipale d'Ettelbruck at 17:00.

In Mersch, a remembrance parade with military vehicles already took place on the afternoon of Sunday 8 September 2024.

Additional commemorative events may be announced and/or details confirmed in the coming days.

(*Photo from Pétange historic military vehicle parade in Square Hyman Josefson, added to article on 10/09/2024; © SIP / Emmanuel Claude)