What to see in France

Oradour sur Glane: one day, everything stopped!

To commemorate the First World War, the Second World War, disasters, and often dramatic events, places of remembrance have sprung up in France. A handful of them are so full of history that one would think they were inhabited, as if populated by ghosts. The village of Oradour sur Glane in the Haute-Vienne is definitely one of them. If you are on a camping holiday in the Limousin, this visit is almost compulsory.

Oradour sur Glane
Oradour sur Glane© OC

On 10 June 1944, in the early afternoon, a Waffen SS unit belonging to the SS "Das Reich" division, which was on its way back to Normandy as reinforcements, entered the small town of Oradour sur Glane, located about 20 kilometres northwest of Limoges. The day before, the same soldiers had hanged 99 people in Tulle. The men were separated from the women and children. The men were divided into different barns and the women and children were locked up in the church. Around 4 p.m., an explosion in the church gave the signal for the executions and a few hours later, 642 people were massacred. Only 6 people survived. In March 1945, during his visit, General de Gaulle decreed that Oradour would be rebuilt elsewhere and that the ruins would become a place of memory.

An educational tool... to try to understand

Campingfrance.com
© Campingfrance.com

The village is surrounded by a wall and for 50 years, the ruins were left as they were, with only a few signs reminding us of the names of the inhabitants of each house and the function of each building: baker, blacksmith, school, etc. Over the years, with the disappearance of witnesses, the message delivered by the ruins became less and less legible. The Haute-Vienne General Council, the National Association of Martyrs' Families and the municipality of Oradour decided to include the martyred village in a global project and to complete it with an "educational tool" intended to help understand what led to the tragedy of 10 June 1944. The Centre de la mémoire was born from this reflection. It was inaugurated on 16 July 1999. It is a cultural facility known as an "interpretation" facility: a story that is told by giving elements to try to understand this tragedy.

An airlock to the unspeakable

From now on, the visit to Oradour will be in two stages. The first, the Centre de la Mémoire, is a permanent exhibition in five chapters. It shows and proves that what happened on 10 June 1944 was no accident but, on the contrary, the result of a deliberate will to spread terror and an operation carefully thought out and prepared down to the smallest detail.

 

Then, with all the information you have gathered, you will arrive at the village gates. You will walk through streets filled with ghosts, discovering evidence of a life that has suddenly come to an end: the remains of a pram in the church, a sewing machine on a windowsill, pieces of iron waiting to be transformed into ploughshares at the blacksmith's, etc. You will speak in hushed tones and your eyes will often sting without the pollen having much to do with it. You will speak in a low voice and your eyes will often sting without the pollen having much to do with it. In any case, you will never forget this visit.

The Memory Centre in practice

The memory centre is open 7 days a week from 1 February to 15 December inclusive.

Opening hours: From 1 February to 28 February: from 9 am to 4 pm

From 1 March to 15 May: 9am to 5pm

From 16 May to 15 September: from 9am to 6pm

From 16 September to 31 October: 9am to 5pm

From 1 November to 15 December: from 9am to 4pm

Permanent exhibition rates (2022 rates) :

Individual rate: 7.80 euros

Family package (2 adults + 2 or more children): 22 euros

Reduced rate: 5.20 euros (students, young people aged 10 to 18, disabled persons, veterans and victims of war) Free admission for under 10s, jobseekers, disabled persons

Contact details:

The Auze

87520 Oradour-sur-Glane

Tel: +33 (0)5 55 430 430

For more information: oradour.org

Testimony of Robert Hébras

Robert Hébras is one of the last two survivors still alive. He regularly takes students on tours of Oradour. 77 years later, he remains haunted by that day. A moment of incredible strength.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTR7hkf3A8s

Campsites around Oradour-sur-Glane

To best organise your stay at the Centre de la Mémoire, take a look at the list of campsites near Oradour-sur-Glane.

 

See all my campsites consulted