Friedensmuseum – The Bridge at Remagen

Inside the towers of the Remagen Bridge is the Peace Museum:

Our river cruise director announces that we are approaching the Bridge at Remagen and everyone scurries to the viewing deck armed with their cameras.  The Remagen Bridge gained fame as American troops were able to cross the last remaining bridge on the Rhine in 1945 which changed the course of the war and history.

The Bridge stirs memories for many people, especially the many Americans on our Rhine River cruise, and the number of history books, documentaries and even John Guillermin’s film based on the Battle of Remagen have kept alive the interest in the events surrounding the Bridge at Remagen.

War escalated in the Rhine-Ahr region after the landing of allied forces in Normandy on June 6th, 1944. From the autumn of 1944, allied forces began flying systematic attacks on German bridges across the Rhine because it was a retreat area for German troops.

Friedensmuseum

From our river boat we see the two remaining Remagen Bridge towers on the west bank. The east bank has two similar dark towers. Since 1980, the west bank towers have become home to the Friedensmuseum or Peace Museum, thanks to the amazing efforts of Hans Peter Kürten, then Mayor of Remagen.  The history of the war in the Middle Rhine region, the role of the Ludendorffbrücke (as it was then called) and the Prisoner-of-War Camp in Remagen are on show in the museum.

The Peace Museum is open to visitors between March and November and for those interested in the WWII  history at Remagen, there are 11 rooms documenting the Battle at Remagen, including war paraphernalia that have been recovered from Remagen – helmets, boots, empty cartridges, etc. can be seen in shared niches in the walls.

The Museum has been awarded a 5-star rating, so it’s well worth a visit.

For €30 you can buy a presentation piece of stone from the Remagen Bridge pillar, encased in synthetic resin, together with a certificate of authenticity. The proceeds from the sale of these souvenirs go to the upkeep of the museum dedicated to Germans and Americans who lost their lives at Remagen.

More about The Bridge at Remagen
See our River Cruise Remagen Bridge photos

Friedens Museum
Die Brücke von Remagen
53424 Remagen on the Rhine
Germany
www.bruecke-remagen.de

Admission        : €3.50
Opening Hours: 7 March – 15 November (Daily: 10:00 – 17:00.  From May through October the Museum closes an hour later at 18:00)

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