War Museums in Belgium

There are dozens of museums dedicated to the First and Second World Wars in Belgium. Below are a few recommendations for museums to visit:

First World War

• In Flanders Field Museum:
  This is the largest and most well-known museum from the First World War and it is located in the center of Ieper.
• Memorial Passchendaele Museum:
  The battle of Passchendaele raged outside of Ieper from June to November 1917. Over 300,000 soldiers of the British Empire and over 260,000 Germans lost their lives during this battle, and hundreds of thousands more on both sides were wounded or captured. This museum tells their story.
• Museum Hooge Crater
  This museum is on a site where extensive mine warfare took place. In addition to explaining mine warfare, the museum has an interesting collection of weapons and vehicles from the war, including a German tri-plane.
• The Hill 62 Museum:
  This museum is family owned, and rather old. However, it contains many artifacts from the war, 3-D viewing machines with photos from the war, and even some preserved trenches at the exterior. It is situated three miles east of Ieper on the road leading to the Hill 62 Canadian War Memorial and the Sanctuary Wood British cemetery. You can find it by taking the road from Ieper to Menen. After you leave Ieper, you come to a roundabout (which was known as "Hellfire Corner” during the war.)  Keep going straight and about one kilometer later you will see a small sign for Hill 62. The museum does not have a website.

Second World War

• The Remember Museum: 
  This museum is owned and run by Marcel and Mathilde Schmetz as their tribute to the Americans who liberated them. Dozens of American veterans have donated items to the museum, and Marcel and Mathilde keep their memory alive. It is located at les Bèolies 4, 4890 Thimister-Clermont, not far from the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery. There is no website, and you must call to make an appointment with Mathilde before visiting the museum. The telephone number is (087) 44.61.81.
• Baugnez 44 Museum:
  This is an excellent commercial museum located near the site of the Nazi Massacre of American POW’s in December of 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge. It tells the story of the war from the perspective of both the soldiers and the civilians in Belgium via an informative audio guide. You will learn a lot from visiting this museum.
• Bastogne Historical Center: 
  This is a commercial museum located just outside of Bastogne, next to the Mardasson Memorial for the Americans killed in the Battle of the Bulge. The museum has a short film explaining what happened during the battle and an interesting collection of armaments, uniforms and vehicles.
• Battle of the Ardennes Museum:
  This is a small, family owned museum in La Roche en Ardennes.  Although it is not very informative, it does have an interesting collection of memorabilia from the war. If you find yourself in La Roche, it is worth a visit.
• December 44 Historical Museum:
  This is a small family owned museum in La Gleize, at the site where Peiper was forced to abandon his tanks in the Battle of the Bulge. The museum is dedicated almost exclusively to the Battle of the Bulge and there is a King Tiger tank outside of the museum.
• Ardennen Poteau ’44 Museum: 
  Another small family-owned museum dedicated to the Battle of the Bulge. It is located in the middle of a former battlefield, where the US 14th Cavalry Group was ambushed by the Nazis on 18 December 1944. It has a rather large collection of military vehicles.
• Museum de la Battaille de La Salm: 
  This small museum is dedicated to the fighting in the area of the river Salm during the Battle of the Bulge. It is located at Ennal 24, 6698 Grand-Halleux.  The telephone number is 080.21.54.58. The museum does not have a website.
• Truschbaum Museum:
  Located in Bütgenbach, this museum is run by the Belgian army, and is located on a Belgian army base. It tells the story of Camp Elsenborn. One part of this story is the struggle for the Elsenborn ridge during the Battle of the Bulge in which the "battle babies” of the 99th US Infantry Division distinguished themselves.

This list is very incomplete. If you know of additional museums that we should include in this list, please let us know at contact@aomda.org.