Mardasson Memorial

Bastogne, BE

The **Mardasson Memorial** is a five-pointed star-shaped monument on the heights above Bastogne, commemorating the more than **76,000 American soldiers** who were killed or wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. Inaugurated in 1950 in the presence of General **Dwight D. Eisenhower**, the memorial stands 12 metres high and is inscribed with the names of all American divisions, corps, and armies that participated in the battle. Inside the crypt, mosaics by **Fernand Léger** depict scenes of the battle and the American way of life. The memorial's star shape references American symbolism while the elevated position above the Bastogne plateau provides panoramic views of the terrain over which the battle was fought. The adjacent **Bastogne War Museum** opened in 2014 and together they form the primary commemorative and educational complex for the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. The Mardasson is not merely a Belgian site — it is one of the most significant American war memorials in Europe, comparable in scale and significance to the American cemeteries at Colleville-sur-Mer and Henri-Chapelle.