Lasauvage Museological Centre

On 30 August 1942 the Nazi Gauleiter Simon introduced forcible military service in Luxembourg for young men born between 1920 to 1924. This was later increased  to include 1925 and 1926.

To avoid serving in the German Wehrmacht some 3,510 did not show up when they were called to arms or deserted after having been enrolled. Some 1,000 young men left Luxembourg and found refuge in France and Belgium, joining there the local resistance movements (maquis).

Some 2,500 went into hiding in Luxembourg either in private homes or in hiding places outside villages and towns. This was a risky decision as their families were forcefully resettled in Silesia, their assets in Luxembourg being confiscated, and the  ‘deserter’  himself was to be court martialled and condemned to death.

For security reasons many young people had to often change their hiding places. One of these hiding places was the former mine ‘Hondsbësch’ where 122 young men went underground from February to August 1944. It was the largest group that went into hiding in one place creating enormous problems concerning activities, health, provision of food, discipline, installation of electricity and lighting.

As the Gestapo did their  utmost to find these ‘deserters’, strict measures to avoid being discovered had to be imposed. A resistance fighter was designated to keep an eye on the behavior of the inmates.

A large network outside of the mine provided food, doctors volunteered to look after ill young men, forced to stay in the damp and dark underground during the day. They were permitted to go  out for a short period  at night only. When suddenly the Germans asked to obtain  a map of old mines, the hiding places seemed unsafe and were  evacuated several weeks before liberation of Luxembourg 10 September 1944.

The ‘Hondsbësch’ mine was declared a national monument in 1991.