The tragic story of what happened at the French village of Oradour-sur-Glane on June 10, 1944 is one that cannot be forgotten. A recent visit to the village has caused me to think a lot about the importance of remembrance and its relationship to forgiveness.
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| Oradour-sur-Glane |
Without warning or explanation, a Nazi regiment massacred 642 men, women and children and then destroyed the village located near Limoges in the Haute-Vienne department of the Limosin region. Much has been written about the tragedy including first-hand accounts by some of the Oradour inhabitants who managed to escape.
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| Oradour-sur-Glane |
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| Oradour-sur-Glane |
The ruins of Oradour-sur-Glane stand just across the road from the town that was rebuilt after World War II. Then president Charles de Gaulle ordered the creation of a permanent memorial so the events and the people would never be forgotten. Signs throughout the village, remind visitors of the importance of remembering the massacre.
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| Oradour-sur-Glan |
“Oradour was not a crime due to madness but the logic of a system. We must remember this not to
see it again, we must live and build a world in which crime will be folly again, and reason will be peace.”
— Claude Roy, French poet, journalist and essayist (1949)
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| Oradour-sur-Glane |
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| Oradour-sur-Glane |
For this American born more than a decade after its end, World War II has always seemed distant in time and place. In the three years I’ve lived in France, that distance has lessened, but my visit to Oradour has made those dark years seem very close and very real. Maybe it’s natural to want to forget. What is amazing to me is how much is remembered and how much more has been forgiven.
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| Oradour-sur-Glane |
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| Oradour-sur-Glane |
Oradour-sur-Glane can be visited every day, and admission and parking are free. Its current hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the last entry an hour before closing. Enter through the visitors’ center, Centre de la Mémoire. Paid admission to the center provides extensive background, context and a film (in French with English translation via handsets). The center has a gift shop and restrooms accessible without paid admission. Details can be found
here.
A detailed account of the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre, including time lines, eyewitness accounts, theories of its cause and aftermath can be found at
www.orador.info. This website provides a solid history lesson and context.
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