Luxembourg trails: On the path of the WWII smugglers

The Luxemburger Wort's Diana Hoffmann travels the Smugglers' Trail, following in the footsteps of young men forced to flee the Nazis during World War II.

It is a strange feeling to go on this path along the Belgian border, knowing that, more than 70 years ago, during World War II, young men were walking around here, fearing for their lives. Some of them never reached the supposedly safe Belgium. They were shot or captured on their way to freedom. 

Accompanying them were smugglers, who knew the roads crossing the border and risked their lives to help their fellow man. In 2006, the so-called Smugglers' Trail (Sentier des passeurs) was created to commemorate them, although the trail, says Nic Lutgen, a tourist guide in the Luxembourg Ardennes, is "only one of many escape routes that led through the forests and across the fields to a safer country during Luxembourg's Nazi period".

The 'Germanisation' of Luxembourg

The past can be followed along two paths, both starting at the train station in Troisvierges. The first path, the 'border crossing', is 12 kilometres long and runs across the Belgian border, while the second path, the 'resistance place Sassel', is 9 kilometres long, dropping down to Asselborn and then up again. On both paths, there are now eight explanatory panels that give hikers more insight into the historical context of the routes. 

In the summer of 1940, the Nazis wanted to integrate Luxembourg into the German Reich as part of their 'Germanisation' policy. The Nazis, believing that everything should be "germanised" in the Grand-Duchy, abolished the government and parliament, banned political parties and forced the country's youth to join the German army or work.

More than 10,000 Luxembourgers – young men, many of whom had never left their country before – were enlisted into the German army and transferred to the Eastern Front in Russia, among other places.

The people's reaction was immediate: A large strike was organised, starting in the leather factory in Wiltz and spreading to the south of the country. But the reaction of the German regime was just as swift – the leaders of the strike were executed. 

Members of the resistance and recruits who refused to join the military service had to flee or hide. To survive, many built bunkers in the forest or hid in farms. Yet, due to overcrowding, the only possibility that remained for some was to escape abroad. 

Young men, who had not yet reached the age of 18, organised the flight. On a similar route to that of the "Sentier des passeurs", in the spring and summer of 1944, three groups of young men crossed the border.

The Border Path

In Sassel, the group met in the so-called Kergen House and marched towards the Fünfbrunnen, passing around Troisvierges in a wide arc. At this point, today's path of remembrance is abbreviated, as it turns toward the Troisvierges train station.

The crossing of the border is simple and remains quite flat. After a short time, the path crosses the fields on a cycle path, then bumps into a cycle path again. At kilometer 3, the path leads past the ponds and through the Biwischerbësch. 

Under threat of death, the men would then, on the same route, have approached the Belgian border with their meagre possessions. They would have taken each step with extreme caution. Whether the ground was wet on the day of flight, or whether every step under their feet cracked, they risked being caught by one of the armed border agents. 

They crossed the border at Nonnebësch. Because the military administration was less strict in Belgium, they were safer there than in their homeland. Through a forest, the path continues past pastures, where today cows graze peacefully, up to a place where today information point can be found, which indicates that the "Maison Rouge" once stood there. 

The group reached the courtyard of the so-called Red House in the early morning hours. They were served breakfast, and, some time later, they received false papers from a Belgian policeman. "The Belgians helped the Luxembourgers very much," Lutgen explained. Now the young men were safe, and the work of the smugglers was done.

For the hiker, it is necessary to return to the station. The journey is about 6 kilometers long and leads past large pastures and fields, where huge windmills turn, and continues through Biwisch back to Troisvierges. In the village, opportunities for a cool drink after the approximately three-hour tour are plenty.

Guided tours 

Three guided tours take place on August 6, 13 and 20. A guide accompanies people interested in the "Sentier des Passeurs" for three hours. The round trip is 8 kilometers, starting at 10.30 am at the station in Troisvierges (Ëlwen in Luxembourgish). 

Registration is not required. Further information is available here or at +352 90 81 88 1.

(By Diana Hoffmann, translated from German by Barbara Tasch)