The museum
What this
museum is
about ?
This Battle of the Salm River Museum (December 1944 - January 1945) is
about
the
resistance
of
paratrooper
of
the
82nd
Airborne
and of all other American units engaged between "La Gleize" and the "Baraque
Fraiture".
On 16 December 1944 the German Wehrmacht breaks through by surprise the
American
lines between "Monjoie" and "Echternach". During a few weeks,
the Salm valley, from "Trois-Ponts" to "Bovigny" is the theatre
of violent fights. Civilian and military victims amount to hundreds. The Salm
River became red...
Origins of the museum
Bernard Michel, the museum director was not born in 1944 : "My Grand-father
gave me my very first item of my collection :
an infantry shovel. Then I read books and stored weapons, uniforms and
other usual objects." Today this inhabitant of Vielsalm has more
than 1.500 items!. He associated with collectors of the Region, Eric Michel,
Claude Orban et Eddy Lamberty namely, in order to open a museum in a
barn of his house. "
80 pc of displayed objects have been found in the region. We saved them
before they were sold at high price to the foreigners. We keep on our
researches. People of own items, documents or photos of wartime can contact
us".
Management of the museum is under the responsibility of the Association
without profit named "Musée
de la bataille de la Salm et du Saillant". Bernard, president,
Jacques Gennen, honorary president, and Hugo Heeren, CEO, were involved
right from the start of the museum creation. Museum inauguration took
place on Friday 20 February 2007 in
presence of four American veterans: : Bill Tucker, Ray Farry, Lester
Schwarm and Joe Cicchinelli (their story has been retraced in a book
named "On the steps of an American paratrooper" by Pascal Hainaut.
Museum authorities
have no e-mail address.
This museum has no official website.
Location information
The museum is located
near Vielsalm in the Grand-Halleux municipality:
24, Ennal street
6698 Ennal (Grand-Halleux)
Belgium
Tel/Fax: +32 (0) 80 215 458
Opening Hours :
Every day 02.00pm-9.00pm in July/August
Saturday
and Sunday from 02.00pm till 06.00pm during other months of year.
Personal note
This is an outstanding museum, a worthwhile visit, the use of
the shed to store the models and equipment as well as the absence of
glasspane in front of models bring an incontestable added value.
Note that the third room is located upstairs, this might be difficult
for older people since there is no elevator but this is really the sole
drawback of this museum. Plans exist to enlarge the museum.
