On the way back from Limoges Airport we called in at Oradour
as we had received several recommendations to go and visit the village. The
village was destroyed by a Waffen-SS unit of the German army on 10th June 1944, a few days
after the D-day landings. All the inhabitants - 642 people including 452 women
and children - were massacred. The men were shot just to injure them and prevent escape, in small groups around the village. The women and children were put in the church. Both men and women were burned alive and the village was partially razed. It remains today much as it was at the time immediately afterwards.
When General de Gaulle visited the village after the war he
decreed that the village was to be preserved as it was as a memorial so that
future generations should not forget. A new village was built next to the site
of the old one.
When we noticed how close to our route Oradour was we took
the opportunity to visit. It made a sombre and saddening occasion, but was
extremely interesting and somewhat spooky. We bought a book in the new village's
tourist office to better understand what happened there, and were glad we went,
despite how uncomfortable it was.
On a happier note, after our visit we went to a bar in the new Oradour and met
a very interesting couple, Terry and Jan, and spent a very pleasant hour while
waiting for a restaurant to open for dinner. Terry (Terry Ray Martyn, a country
and western singer) gave us his card and we looked him up on YouTube, and I
haven't been able to get his rendition of Dance the Night Away out of my head
ever since!
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