Demolition of the Basilica
Where? L-6460 Echternach
On 26 December 1944, the retreating German troops blew up the Basilica in Echternach.
On 26 and 27 December 1944, the Americans finally succeeded in taking Echternach and pushing the remaining German troops across the Sûre River into the bunkers of the Westwall.
However, a dramatic event occurred during their retreat across the Sûre: the Basilica was blown up by German troops on 26 December 1944. This was an act of ‘revenge’ by the Wehrmacht, which had a profound emotional impact on the population of Echternach and the surrounding area. The Basilica is an important part of the local, regional and national cultural heritage, a symbol of the cult of Saint Willibrord and the Hopping Procession.
Numerous objects, including the organ, were destroyed in the explosion. All the bells of the basilica were smashed, including the Sebastian bell from 1512. A 19th-century mission cross was also almost completely destroyed.
The reason for the demolition must have been as follows: the order was to demolish the church towers as a precautionary measure to prevent the Allies from setting up observation posts there.
After the war, the Basilica was rebuilt and completed in the 1950s.
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