The Battle of the Bulge Museum of La Roche
The Museum of the Battle of the Bulge opened its doors the July 1st 1993
This museum is the result of the passion of its founder Michel Bouillon and his youngest son Gilles for all things relating to the history of La Roche en Ardenne during the second world war and mainly during the Battle of the Bulge.
Michel Bouillon, aged 12 in 1944, was strongly marked by the second world war, from the evacuation in May 1940 that he lived through with all his family up to the liberation of his home village by the Americans in September 1944.
After an apprentiship he became a butchery worker and settled in La Roche in 1955 opening a butchery, The Bouillon Butchery now located on the Place du Marché.
As from the sixties Michel Bouillon starts collecting various second world war objects and military artefacts, his youngest son Gilles born in 1967 also starts a collection when 10 years old and will always preciously keep the material collected by his father.
Gilles loves mechanics and will become a garage owner and car reparer in this building from 1988 to 2008, and will then gradually transform it into a museum.
Thus was assembled the collection that can now be seen in the Museum.
The founder of the Museum, michel Bouillon, died on 4 August 2014 aged 82.
Gilles Bouillon is the actual curator of the Museum and welcomes visitors with great pleasure.
It’s important to note that the Museum of the Battle of the Bulge never received any subsidies from the State, it operates only thanks to its visitors.
Thank you, enjoy your visit
Gilles Bouillon
Michel Bouillon in Villers-Devant-Orval in 1944
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde visiting the museum with Michel Bouillon.
The Museum
In our family museum
The visitor will discover in close to 1500 m2, spread over three levels more than 120 mannequins of American, English, German and even Scottish soldiers with their equipment and armament, as well as uniforms donated by veterans of the Battle of the Bulge. He will also discover an important collection of light and heavy arms, photographic documents, personal objects and equipment found on the battlefield. Some 20 military vehicles are also exposed.
The gun room exhibits some 90 rifles, pistols, revolvers.
The famous "Enigma" decoding machine.
The veterans room assembles the donations by veterans of the Battle of the Bulge.
The wall maps shows the successive stages of the Battle of the Bulge.
The film presents period pictures of the liberation of La Roche in January 1945.
MUSÉE de la BATAILLE des ARDENNES
Personne de contact :
Gilles Bouillon - Administrateur et conservateur du musée