The Mardasson Memorial, now officially called the Battle of the Bulge Monument, stands on a hill just outside Bastogne and is visible for some distance across the surrounding farmland. Built in the shape of a five-pointed star — the American military emblem — it was dedicated in 1950 and honors the American soldiers wounded or killed during the Battle of the Bulge. The names of all American states are inscribed around the outer ring, and a crypt beneath the monument contains three altars, one each for Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish services.
The view from the top takes in the same rolling Ardennes countryside that American paratroopers and tankers fought through in the winter of 1944–45. The surrounding forest is peaceful now, but the landscape has a particular quality when you understand what happened here — the distances across open fields that had to be crossed under fire, the tree lines where German infantry waited. The memorial is free to visit and is open year-round. It stands immediately adjacent to the Bastogne War Museum, and most visitors combine both in a single half-day visit.