Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial

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Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial ( dt. : American Cemetery with memorial in Henri-Chapelle ) is a war cemetery with a monument and is located near the historic Belgian town of Henri-Chapelle , 18 km southeast of the Netherlands American Cemetery in Maastricht . The cemetery, inaugurated in 1960, is cared for full-time by the American Battle Monuments Commission and voluntarily by the Belgian population.

Rows of graves arranged in a semicircle

History of origin

The approximately 23 hectare cemetery was established in September 1944 by the 1st US Infantry Division as a cemetery for the fallen. This was rebuilt and redesigned by 1960 and inaugurated on July 9, 1960. Fallen soldiers from two phases of the Second World War rest in the cemetery . Firstly, the advance of the 1st US Army through northern France and, secondly, that of the Ardennes offensive , and the victims of Fosse near Namur and Foy near Bastogne were also buried here to rest. A total of 7,992 fallen American soldiers are resting in Henri-Chapelle . The architects of this cemetery and the memorial were the architects Holabird, Root and Burgee from Chicago , the landscaping was done by Franz Lipp, also from Chicago.

general description

The building complexes of the memorial consist of the chapel on the north side and the museum and visitor area on the south side. These buildings are connected by a portico of 12 pairs of rectangular pylons . From here there is a terrace, the incorporated paths lead to the burial grounds. Massangis limestone and St. Gottard granite were used as building materials .

Colonnade with courtyard

The hall of honor

The hall of honor consists of a colonnade between the chapel and the museum. The names of 450 missing persons are engraved on the four sides of the pylons, as are the seals of 48 states, three territories and the District of Columbia. Thirteen stars made of golden glass mosaic are worked into the bevels of the colonnade.

The chapel

The entrance is through a bronze door, the altar in the interior is made of blue Belgian and green Italian Issorie marble. The church stalls on the left long wall are made of walnut, on the right side of the wall a cross hangs, the side light inlet ensures a coordinated harmony.

Gravesite of Frederick Walker Castle , the most senior fallen man

The tombs

The bronze statue in front of the burial grounds depicts an archangel with a laurel branch , which he holds protectively over the fallen. The individual grave sections are divided by axially running paths and lengthways running grass paths. The arched arrangement of the graves extends over a gently sloping, grass-covered slope and allows a sweeping view, which is limited in the background by a forest area. Local Belgian families have partly taken on partnerships and take care of the tombs.

Rows of graves with forest background

Horticultural design

The road to the vantage point is bordered by linden trees; hawthorn hedges, box trees and rhododendron beds have been planted throughout the cemetery area. Other sections of the terrain are overgrown with white polyantha roses and yew trees. Strong weeping willows protrude from the site at each end of the memorial and the paths to the graves are flanked by box trees. The green areas around the actual burial site are planted with groups of birch, hornbeam and yew trees. The area is bordered by a wall, which is interrupted by free-standing groups of box trees and hornbeams, behind the property wall small groves with spruce, larch and birch develop.

See also

Web links

Commons : Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 50 ° 41 ′ 48 "  N , 5 ° 53 ′ 57.5"  E