National Museum of Military History (Luxembourg)
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The National Museum of Military History (NMMH) in Diekirch emerged from the Diekirch Historical Museum (opened in 1984), which was primarily dedicated to the Battle of the Bulge in Luxembourg in winter 1944/45. It is located in the complex of the Diekirch "old brewery".
The key topic of the museum remains the balanced and objective historical representation of the military operations in the Ardennes from the American, German and civilian point of view. Over 3000 square meters of exhibition space and numerous lifesize impressive dioramas enable an insight of the dramatic and tragic situations that both soldiers and civilians were caught in. Special showrooms feature extensive collections of weapons, uniforms, military equipment of all kind, wheeled- and tracked vehicles, in addition to numerous personal soldier’s belongings, photographs, documents and maps. The museum’s core piece is doubtlessly the detailed mock-up of the night-time Sauer river crossing at Diekirch on January 18, 1945 by units of the 5th U.S. Infantry division.
A second part of the NMMH museum is dedicated to the history of Luxembourg’s own armed forces since the creation of Luxembourg as a state, until present. A number of largescale striking dioramas cover key aspects and periods of the post-World War II Luxembourg army. Other sections are dedicated to Luxembourgers fighting in allied armies in both World War I, World War II and during the Korean conflict. Luxembourg UN missions are also covered and special displays provide an overview of daily military life.
The National Museum of Military History is a founding member of AMBA, the Belgian-Luxembourg Association of the Museums of the Battle of the Ardennes [1] and a European partner of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, USA [2].
