There are several military museums and cemeteries in Belgium and Luxembourg, some specifically dedicated to the Battle of the Bulge. Following are some worth a visit. Be advised that while many places list that they are open daily, most close on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

HENRI-CHAPELLE AMERICAN CEMETERY AND MEMORIAL, Belgium: Two miles northwest of the village of Henri- Chapelle, which is on the main highway from Liège, Belgium, to Aachen, Germany.

Soldiers, 7,989 of them, who died in the Battle of the Bulge or during the advance into and across Germany in late 1944 and early 1945, are buried in this cemetery. There are 33 instances in which two brothers rest side by side and one instance of three brothers. There are also headstones marking the graves of 94 unknown soldiers.

After the war, families had the option of having a soldier’s remains returned to his home or buried at Henri-Chapelle. David Atkinson, superintendent of the cemetery, said 40 percent chose burial in this cemetery.

In May, groups of World War II veterans in Europe to attend ceremonies for the 60th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France, visited the cemetery. Local schoolchildren waving Belgian and U.S. flags greeted them, as did many citizens from nearby villages.

“For the average Belgian, if he wants to say ‘thank you’ to Americans, he will not lay a rose at the American embassy,” Atkinson said. “He will come here and lay a rose at a grave.”

Francis Williamson, 83, who parachuted into France on D-Day, made his way there.

“Visiting the cemetery is something you can’t explain. It just comes on you. First thing you know you’re crying,” he said.

The cemetery is open 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily from April 16 to Sept. 30, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily the rest of the year.

MUSEUM OF THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE: Rue Chamont 5, La Roche-en-Ardenne, Belgium.

Museum dioramas contain 100 dummies of American, British and German soldiers with their equipment and weapons. Personal objects found on the battlefield, light and heavy weapons, documents and photographs and 20 military vehicles are also on display.

The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Admission is 5 euros for adults and 3 euros for children.

BASTOGNE HISTORICAL CENTER: Colline du Mardasson, Bastogne, Belgium

Here visitors can see uniforms and light weapons of both German and U.S. troops who fought in the battle for Bastogne. There are also dioramas and a theater where you can view film reports shot during the fighting by cameramen of the opposing armies.

Open 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. October through April; 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. May and June; 9:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. July and August; and 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. in September. Admission of 8.50 euros for adults and 6 euros for children includes a tour with an English-speaking guide.

Find more information at www.bastognehistoricalcenter.be.

MARDASSON MEMORIAL: Bastogne, Belgium

This huge monument built in the shape of a star represents the homage of the Belgian people to the 76,890 Americans who were killed, wounded or missing in action during the liberation of towns and villages in the Battle of the Bulge. The story of the battle is inscribed on the museum’s interior walls. Exterior columns list the U.S. units that fought in the battle. A promenade on top of the structure is equipped with viewpoint indicators so you can see the site of the battle. Open continuously.

DIEKIRCH HISTORICAL MUSEUM: 10 Bamertal, Diekirch, Luxembourg.

The scenes depicted in the dioramas in this excellent museum are based on accounts from those who were present during the battle. The largest and most dramatic shows troops of Gen. George S. Patton Jr.’s Third Army about to cross the icebound Sauer River on Jan. 18, 1945, to liberate Diekirch. The museum is also chock-full of military vehicles, both German and American, implements, weapons and miscellaneous war paraphernalia. In addition there are hundreds of authentic photographs, maps and documents.

David Roderick, 80, who was with the 4th Infantry Division on D-Day in Normandy, toured the museum with his son, Scott.

“It’s strange to see all this German stuff,” remarked the elder Roderick. He was intrigued with the diorama depicting soldiers at Thanksgiving 1944, cooking turkey. In 11 months of conflict, Roderick said he remembers having hot food only three times. He weighed 127 pounds when he returned from combat.

The museum is open 2-6 p.m. daily Nov. 2 to March 31; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 1 to Nov. 1. Web site: www.nat-military-museum.lu.

AMERICAN MILITARY CEMETERY AND MEMORIAL: Luxembourg-Hamm, three miles east of Luxembourg City.

Patton is buried here, as are 5,075 others, many of whom died in the Battle of the Bulge and the advance to the Rhine. Among the dead are a female Army nurse and 22 instances of two brothers buried side-by-side. White marble shafts surmounted by a Star of David mark the graves of 118 Jews; white marble crosses mark the others.

Not far from the entrance is a white stone chapel. Flanking the chapel at a lower level are two large stone pylons with maps made of various inlaid granites and inscriptions recounting the achievements of the American armed forces in the region. Also on the pylons are the names of 371 of the missing who gave their lives in service to their country, but whose remains were never recovered or identified.

Open 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily.

ROYAL ARMY MUSEUM: 3 Parc du Cinquantenaire, Brussels, Belgium

“We have everything from medieval helmets to an F-16,” said Commandant Pat Van Hoorebeke, an officer of the museum. There are cannons and guns from the Napoleonic era, and ancient bicycles belonging to Belgium’s pre-World War I Carabiniers Cyclists. Museum exhibits deal with the Russian civil war, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and conflicts in Latvia and Estonia. A new department is to cover international conflicts from 1918 to the present. However, it currently takes in only the years to 1940. Most of the glass cases contain weapons and uniforms from the museum’s vast collection of 125,000 items. There are newspapers and posters charting the rise of Fascism and Stalinism. There are reconstructed scenes, including a replica of one of the rings of concrete bunkers built to defend Liege, Belgium, and another of a Belgian street scene after mobilization in 1938. Separate halls are dedicated to the Navy, airplanes and tanks.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. until noon and 1 p.m. until 4:45 p.m. Admission free. More info at www.klm-mra.be.

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