#Vector of Memory
Peace and reconciliation at as Schumann’s Eck
Since the inauguration of the ‘Liberation Memorial Schumanns Eck’ in 1994, former enemies have been reconciled in the spirit of international understanding and human values for peace and freedom. These values have not lost their significance for the younger generations either. At the entrance to the Schumanns Eck pedagogical memorial path, the LRE ‘SchumannsEck’ Vector of Memory is dedicated to these fundamental values of the free world against war, violence and oppression.
The murderous positional fighting around the ridge of the ‘SchumannsEck’ began on 27 December 1944 and only ended on 21 January 1945 with the liberation of Wiltz. The long stalemate on the eastern front of Bastogne caused the complete destruction of the Belgian-Luxembourg villages and brought immeasurable suffering to the civilian population.
The countless military cemeteries in the region are silent memorials against forgetting the lessons of the past. The more than 55 million deaths worldwide during the Second World War and the complete destruction of Europe were the basis of a shared trauma with many fears for the future.
Despite the immeasurable suffering, the war generations found the inner strength and the lasting courage to rebuild, in order to realise together the dream of a new world: living in peace, freedom, and with a good understanding of the diverse nations of Europe, for which they had longed during the war.
For many years, the peoples of Europe have been reconciled in a common spirit at the ‘Liberation Memorial SchumannsEck’, to create lasting peace - based on respect for the human values to which the ‘SchumannsEck’ Vector of Memory is dedicated. Human dignity - freedom - justice - equality - solidarity and democracy.
Only our willingness to live these values convincingly and to stand up for them daily makes these ethics truly valuable.