Written by Kim Meyers
Context:
Diekirch, being one of the bigger cities of the North of Luxembourg, is known for accommodating permanently the national army of Luxembourg. The army has its base on the so-called Herrenberg, a little mountain reigning over this city. The very first beginnings of military activity in Luxembourg was the federal contingent, which enrolled between 1841 and 1867. These1’319 active soldiers and 661 reservists were partly ever since stationed in Diekirch.[1] Along with Ettelbruck, its neighbor city, and Echternach, Diekirch became instantly a new “military” capital in Luxembourg. Ever since the city of Diekirch bought in 1953 the “Heckepesch”, nowadays in the heart of the city, to construct the “Cité résidentielle militaire”, brigadiers, officers and under-officers inhabit these facilities.[2] Therefore, soldiers and officers are commonly seen in and around the city and take a big part of its culture and everyday life.
Where:
With this rich military history for the city of Diekirch, it only makes sense to enable the civil population to take part in it and to embrace the military culture, which generally is relatively weak in our small country. The museum is constructed at the foot of the Herrenberg, closely to the army. Therefore, the visitors get the chance to become witness of a unique experience by strolling through the museum, with modern military equipment regularly passing by. In fact, the street of Bamertal, where the museum is located, leads up to the military base.
Objective:
The National Museum of Military is dedicated to explaining, to show and to remember mainly Second World War, which has marked the landscape of the North of Luxembourg, which endorsed a destruction rate of 58.3% of its territory.[3] Regarding this shocking number, it is easily understandable, why a certain need of explaining and showing personal, political and technical aspects of military in Luxembourg. By introducing a single room, dedicated to personal belongings, underlines the value, given to the human and social aspect of a part of Luxembourgish history, marked by dehumanization and social weaknesses.
The museum presents itself on the internet; “everything from a pack of chewing gum to a 32-ton tank”. This shows the large scale of the presentation the museum wants to bring close to their visitors. It’s exactly this range and variety, which completes the vision one can get from the war. Even people who are less informed about military history get by this vast range an opportunity to get closer in touch with the message of the museum. It really is a place, created for any people to understand and empathize with the subject.
History of the museum:
Interestingly, the museum of military history was founded in 1982 by volunteers. As one of the most valuable source of information, first hand witnesses become more and more rare over the time, the mid-eighties seemed a perfect point in time to start this project. There was already enough information and scientific research available in addition to veterans and time-witnesses willing to speak about their experiences. By the combination of research and historical statements, a precise and a vivid scenery could be produced to explain to a large public of all ages the history of themes such as First and Second World War, Vietnam war or the Korean conflict.
This means, that the museum, since its early debuts has tried to meet its visitors with the possibly most touching and most impressive effect by not only using objects of all kinds and sizes, but also their own little, but very personal histories. By the integration of pieces of the so-called oral history and the simultaneous impressions one gets of the objects, the visitor can experience a close touch-up with the emotions and feelings of the men and women of the different time periods.
Ever since 1982, the museum has had the opportunity to expand its exposition to 3500 square meters and to present the every-day life in the army as well as its technology, equipment, different documents and much more. The importance of this museum for modern society and its culture of remembrance, brightens the future of this institution. In times, where more and more people are losing their connection to the political institutions, which have ensured well-being and peace in Europe for the last 75 years, the necessity for remembrance becomes clearer and more important than ever before. The phrase “never again” should and can therefore not only be a phrase but needs to be an active part in our thinking, feeling and being. The Museum of Military History in Diekirch has taken since its foundation a crucial part in this process.
[1] https://www.armee.lu/historique/le-contingent-federal-1841-1867 (visited May 22nd, 2020
[2] https://logement.public.lu/fr/actualites/2017/07/Cite-militaire-Diekirch.html (visited: 21st May 2020)
[3] Krier, Emile, Kriegsende und Neubeginn, Westdeutschland und Luxemburg zwischen 1944 und 1947, (HRSG. Kurt Düwell/Micchhael Matheus, Geschichtliche Landeskunde Bd. 46, Franz Steiner Verlag, S.90
Musée national de la Résistance
Written by Gabriel Ndoja
The idea of constructing a commemorating monument in Esch/Alzette honouring the combatants and martyrs of the resistance resulted from the first days of the Liberation of Luxembourg. The group behind this idea was the “League of Luxembourgish political prisoners and deported” (or in Luxembourgish “Ligue vun den Letzebuerger Politesche Prisonneier an Deporteierten”), which presented this idea to the city council of Esch/Alzette. Their project gained fast in popularity and the support from the authorities. At the beginning they decided that the commemorating structure should be a museum where there would be objects exposed showing the suffering of the Luxembourgish people during the Nazi regime and their fight or the liberty. Thus the first work has started in the year 1956. The 22 July 1956 the museum of resistance has been inaugurated. The museum has been filled with objects chosen from the people in the LPPD which influenced and helped shape the beginning days of the museum. The architect included many aspects of the resistance and made the relation between the social life and the working class, especially the workers in the steel industry with the following inscription on the museum:
« Honneur à ceux qui par leur travail et leur mort dans les mines, les usines et les ateliers ont construit la base économique de notre indépendance »
- Eng: “Honour to those, who by their work and their death in mines, factories and workshops have built the economic base of our independence”
« Honneur a ceux qui par leur résistance courageuse et leur mort héroïque pendant l’occupation ont donné leur vie pour la sauvegarde de notre indépendance ».
- Eng: “Honour to those, who by their courageous resistance and their heroic death during the occupation gave their lives for the safeguard of our independence”.
It is not by coincidence that the museum of resistance has been built in Esch/Alzette. The city is in the South of Luxembourg; as the regional centre of the Steel-industry, second biggest city of Luxembourg and the birth of the most important workers union, the city of Esch suited perfectly for the project. Moreover, in Esch there were already in the 30s anti-fascist protests which strengthens the idea of a history of resistance in the south of Luxembourg. Furthermore, the city of Esch was suffering the most from the german occupation due to the factors above and had to do massive evacuations on the first days of the occupation. Thus, the names of squares and streets today in Esch should remind the residents of the martyrs and fighters of this time; (like the “Square of Resistance” today; Location of the MNR). The museum gained in the following years more popularity and has become a symbolic place of reunion for commemorating events.
Making the museum a place to learn and teach became in the year 1984 more prominent where the city council decided with other authorities to renovate the museum. To not forget, keeping the history alive and teach about the events during this specific period became the main purpose. The inauguration was then also put symbolically on the 7th May 1945 (one day before the German capitulation). Thus, the new museum was surrounded by a national sentiment and given by the role to keep and strengthen the national vocation. The educational role of the museum especially for the younger generations is stressed nowadays because those are the ones shaping the society in the future.