Toward the end of World War II, the fighting reached the Vosges Mountains. The German war cemetery in Niederbronn-les-Bains was established as early as the winter of 1944–45.
Cemetery Description
Nestled in the picturesque hilly landscape of the Vosges lies the spa and thermal bath town of Niederbronn-les-Bains. The small town, with a population of just over 4,000, is part of the Bas-Rhin department in the Grand Est region, formerly known as Alsace. The German war cemetery is located on the eastern edge of town on the Eyler-Hügel plateau, which covers approximately five hectares. In the visitor’s room of the entrance building, there are registers containing information about those buried in Niederbronn-les-Bains. The cemetery is divided into 46 blocks. The grave crosses marking individual graves bear the names of two fallen soldiers on each side. Horizontal name plaques mark the location of mass graves containing more than two fallen soldiers.
A tall cross stands in the center of the war cemetery. The names of the municipalities from which the fallen were transferred to Niederbronn-les-Bains are inscribed on seven stone blocks arranged at equal intervals. At the end of the main path stands the “Memorial”: a circular structure made of red Vosges sandstone. In its center lies the comrades’ grave. A stele was erected in the hall in memory of Hungarian soldiers buried in France.
Capacity
The war cemetery is the final resting place of 15,458 victims of World War II. More than 400 of them were buried after the site was dedicated on October 1, 1966. Among the buried soldiers are members of the SS and several convicted war criminals. Civilians and supporters of the German armed forces from 13 nations were also buried in Niederbronn-les-Bains.
History
As early as 1944–45, both Americans and Germans were burying their dead near Niederbronn-les-Bains. This led to the creation of a German-American cemetery, which remained in use until the late 1950s. At that time, the graves of many thousands of German soldiers who had fallen in battle were scattered across 774 municipalities in the Bas-Rhin and Moselle departments, spread out across fields and meadows, along roadsides, and in forests. In the 1960s, a decision was made to transfer the American war dead to the Saint-Avold War Cemetery in Lorraine and to reinter the German war dead from there to Niederbronn-les-Bains.
Special Feature
Right next to the war cemetery is the Albert Schweitzer International Youth Meeting and Education Center (IJBS). The facility, which also offers lodging and meeting spaces, provides various educational programs on historical, social, and political topics. Opened in 1994, the center is—along with Ysselsteyn (Netherlands), Lommel (Belgium), and Golm (Germany) —one of four facilities operated by the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V.
