Luxembourg paid tribute to the victims of the German occupation during the Second World War in a day of remembrance marked by emotion and harrowing, yet necessary, accounts.
The sky was grey, the air crisp, and faces solemn as silence fell over the Kanounenhiwwel (Cannon Hill) in Luxembourg City on the National Day of Remembrance for those who suffered under German occupation between 1940 and 1945.
Grand Duke Henri laid a wreath at the monument, which was erected in memory of Second World War victims. Its cobbled courtyard evokes memories of prisons, concentration camps, and military barracks. The eternal flame at the memorial was later rekindled by the sovereign, symbolising the ongoing duty to remember, even after so many years have passed.
The commemoration continued at the foot of the Cathedral, following a religious service attended by the Grand Duke, at the Memorial to Jewish Deportation.
The Kaddish Monument, named after one of Judaism’s most important prayers, honours the 1,300 Luxembourgish Jews killed by the Nazi regime. “There is no happiness without memory,” said Albert Aflalo, President of the Jewish Community of Luxembourg, during his speech.
He also paid tribute to Israeli hostages recently released by Hamas, stating that “their return rekindles our hopes.”
Aflalo called for intensified efforts to combat antisemitism, emphasising that action is needed both in places of worship and in schools, referring to instances of Jewish children being isolated in the classroom. His remarks echoed a recent case of antisemitic abuse directed at a pupil in a primary school near Luxembourg City.
Prime Minister Luc Frieden focused on the historical horrors of Auschwitz, before Rabbi Alain Nacache led a prayer, surprising some passers-by who were unaware of the commemoration.
The ceremony then moved to Hollerich, to the former train station from which young men forced into the German army, families relocated to East Germany, and Jews deported to camps were sent. The commemoration concluded at Notre-Dame Cemetery, in front of the Hinzert Cross. Made from beams from the Hinzert concentration camp in Germany, this monument honours the Resistance and the deported, marking the final traditional stop of the day’s remembrance.
Among the attendees was 98-year-old Albert Worré, who recounted his own wartime experiences: “We lived in Wiltz, where my father was arrested after the August 1942 strike. He was the director of the local economic office and one of the organisers of the strike. He was later executed, and I was deported with my mother to several camps in Poland before being liberated by the Russians. You cannot imagine what we went through.” Despite a recent illness and the chilly weather, Worré attended the commemoration for the first time, determined not to miss it again: “I was away from Luxembourg for thirty-five years. I couldn’t come, so now I want to make up for it. I owe it to my father.”
Among the flags on display was one from France. Edmond Faber, secretary since 1998 of the Luxembourg section of the French Association of War Crosses and Military Valour, recounted the often-overlooked role of Luxembourgers in the French Resistance. “Men born between 1920 and 1924 were first sent for forced labour in 1940 and 1941. Later, joining the Wehrmacht became mandatory, but many refused,” he explained.
He described a route from Differdange to France and the Auvergne maquis, where Luxembourgers, including his music teacher, took up arms against the German occupiers. Faber noted that around 450 Luxembourgers fought across the border and were decorated by France after the war, while others were arrested by the Gestapo and deported to Slońsk in Poland. In January 1945, 91 Luxembourgers and 730 other prisoners were killed in a mass execution there.
