Ardennes

12 September

Following the eighteen-day conquering of Belgium in June 1940, flunkeys working for the Fuhrer were ordered to clear an area, 40 kilometres in diameter, near the French border.

The inhabitants of the affected villages were given twenty-minutes to gather their possessions and told they could never return.

Deep in the forest, near the village of Brûly-du-Peche, Hitler built a command post where the terms of the surrender of Belgium were drafted and the subsequent invasion of France directed.

Today, the original bunker remains along with two reconstructed versions of small, Austrian chalets. These served as modest living quarters in stark contrast with the occupier’s deluded ambitions.

Looks like the kind of thing you see on The Modern House website...

I was told of the pervasive sense of evil inside the tiny, claustrophobic concrete bunker where Hitler was to take refuge in the event of air raids.

It’s creepy alright but you are not inhabiting the space that once housed a monster as it was never used. The dense woodland of the Ardennes served as cover so never attracted any RAF or US airforce attention and remained undetected until after the end of the war.

An hour-long, self-guided walking tour is excellent value at €6. This also commemorates the bravery of the local resistance movement and their efforts to disrupt the military operations of the Nazis.

if you want to learn more, going there is and the only option as the website at www.bdp1940.be is the worst example of a tourist website imaginable.