This cemetery contains the remains of over 5,000 American service men, most of whom died during the Battle of the Bulge and the advance of the Rhine River, led by General George S. Patton.
Their are 22 cases of brothers buried side by side here.
General Patton requested to be buried with his men in the Luxembourg American Cemetery.
I know that a LOT of Americans visit this cemetery on Memorial Day, and there were over 200 people in attendance at a Memorial Ceremony that day (including Gen. Patton's granddaughter), but they must have all left before we got there, because there really weren't very many people, and it was very quiet and peaceful when we were there.
We actually saved the cemetery for the last part of our trip. Before that, we headed into the heart of Luxembourg City and took a look around. The 1,000 year old fortifications of the Old Town are up on a plateau, all along steep cliffs, and include 17 km. of underground tunnels. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. From up here we had great views, looking down into the Grund, on the banks of the Alzette River.
We visited the Cathedrale Notre-Dame (Cathedral of Our Lady, 1613), not to be confused with Notre Dame de Paris ;)
I loved the columns in this church. Very Gothic. Very beautiful.
We took a stroll past The Grand Ducal Palace (1572).
Fittingly, for Memorial Day, we also saw many war memorials in the city. This is the Monument of Remembrance, or Gelle Fra, dedicated to those who fought in both World Wars and the Korean War. (In the background you can see the former headquarters of the High Authority).
I believe the one below was in remembrance of the guard of the Grand Duke.
And this one was "for the heroes of the armed forces who died for their country".
The National Monument of Solidarity commemorates the dead of World War II
We really enjoyed our time in Luxembourg. It is a very walkable city, and it is very charming.
