Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Luxembourg

The day after Christmas, my host family took a drive around part of the perimeter of Luxembourg. First, we drove right across the country into Vianden, a village just on the border of Luxembourg and Germany which is home to a rather famous castle. In the 1860s and 70s, Vianden castle was host to Victor Hugo, who wrote about the castle. There is a Victor Hugo museum in Vianden, as well. I didn’t see that, but here is the castle.
On November 19, 1944, this was the site of the Battle for Vianden Castle, notable as a battle in the Luxembourgish resistance against Nazi Germany. Since there is a view of Germany from the castle, the Luxembourgish military could look into the German territory and report the movements of German troops to the Allies. There is a memorial for the American soldiers who had liberated Vianden.




We went into Germany...

In Igel, Germany (close to Trier), there is a preserved 23 meter Roman column. It dates back to the 2nd century. Covered with sculptures, it serves as a funeral monument for Secundini family. Apparently, it is the only surviving funeral monument north of the Alps (pun intended).


Igeler Säule

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