In early February, a group of young history enthusiasts met in Aachen, Germany for the start of a five-day LRE youth exchange that allowed them to learn about the history of the Battle of the Bulge in Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. The third LRE youth exchange took place in late March and early April in Milan and Lyon and was centered around the topic of Resistance in Italy and France. With visits to museums, guided tours, workshops and many more activities, the participants gained a deep understanding of the Second World War, resistance to political oppression and the value of freedom and democracy.
“Battle of the Bulge” Exchange
During the “Battle of the Bulge” exchange, the participants from seven different European countries were very enthusiastic to explore the history of Aachen and the border village Roetgen with its tank fortifications that bear witness to the German Ardennes Offensive. The following day, we explored the Ordensburg Vogelsang in the Eifel national park, where young German men were trained in the 1930s to be future Third Reich administrators. Our Belgian tour guide Jean-Marie Malaise brilliantly explained the Castle of the Order’s symbolism in the National Socialist Party system.
In Luxembourg, the group visited the Centre Cinqfontaines which used to be a deportation centre for the Jewish population in the Grand Duchy. The journey continued to the Schumannseck Memorial Trail near Wiltz which allows visitors to dive deep into the history of the surrounding battlefield. In this location, the Battle of the Bulge was fought the hardest on Luxembourg soil eighty years ago.
The Bastogne War Museum tells the stories of four civilians and soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge and the siege of Bastogne during Christmas 1944 and gave everyone a personal insight into the hardships that people had to endure for their liberation. The journey concluded with a guided tour of the former quarry in Maastricht, in the Netherlands, where 750 famous Dutch artworks were hidden during the WW2 air raids.
Participant Olga, 18 years from Spain: “The LRE youth exchange has been an unforgettable experience, a journey through the Second World War in which I have not only deepened my understanding of European history but also met passionate young people from across the continent. My friends and I are looking forward to joining another LRE exchange soon!”
“Resistance in Italy and France” exchange
The young participants from Poland, Germany, Belgium, France and Italy started the first day with a to visit the Casa della Memoria (House of Memory) and the Memorial of the Shoah in Milan. The sites allowed the group to explore the history of the resistance in Milan, guided by the researchers from the Istituto Nazionale Parri and learn about the point of deportation of the city’s Jewish population underneath the Central Station.
After a guided Second World War tour of Milan’s city center by historian and LRE Italy scientific committee coordinator Mirco Carrattieri, it was an amazing experience to be surrounded by nature in the peaceful Garden of the Righteous of the World. The following day, a bus brought us to the next stop in the Croix Rousse neighbourhood in Lyon, France, where tour guide Charlotte de Gail introduced us to the history of Lyon during the Second World War and the local resistance movement.
The exchange ended at Lyon’s History Centre for Resistance and Deportation, where we sat down with Hélène Akierman, who gave a touching testimony of her family’s history during WW2 and her experience as a hidden child.
During both exchanges, there was also time for content creation, an important part of the Active Remembrance Youth Program. Participants have the chance to either record their own podcasts or videos or write historical content in the key locations. This in-depth study of the topic allows everyone to immerse themselves even deeper into the history and to actively remember the past, while collaborating with other young people from all over Europe. At the end of the project, all of the content that was created during the nine exchanges will be displayed in an online exhibition.
The next exchange “Liberation from Normandy to Paris” will take place in Caen and Paris in France from 23 to 26 June 2025. Applications are now welcome on the project’s website!
