2 Best Sights in Bastogne, The Meuse and the Ardennes

Standing solemnly beside the Bastogne War Museum, this huge star-shape memorial honors the Americans lost in the Battle of the Bulge. The names of all U.S. Army units and the history of the battle are inscribed on the wall, along with a simple phrase in Latin: “The Belgian people remember their American liberators.” Mosaics by Fernand Léger decorate the crypt’s Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish chapels. From the top of the memorial you have a magnificent view of the former battlegrounds. The memorial is open all year.

Originally constructed in the 14th century, Trier Gate is the last remaining evidence of the medieval city wall that once encircled Bastogne. The ramparts kept the city safe until 1688, when they were demolished on the orders of French king Louis XIV, and the gate was converted into a prison—a role it performed until 1914. The German offensive in 1944--45 almost destroyed the building, but it has since been restored. Today it occasionally hosts temporary exhibitions—you'll need an appointment to look inside at other times.