Places of Interest - France

The little French village of “Oradour” was a village like many others until on 10 June 1944 bad fate struck the town. The village and its inhabitants were surrounded by a German Waffen-SS regiment, murdered and the village was totally destroyed to erase traces. In the attack 642 people were killed while only 6 people survived the massacre. The ruins of the martyr village are still exactly in the same state as when after the destruction. Small plaques indicate what was set for the fatal attack (hairdresser, cafe, shop or school) and you can see the remains of burnt-out cars, houses, strollers and much more. Besides the martyr village which is freely to visit, there is a "memorial museum", a memorial and you can visit the cemetery where the remains of the people are reburied. About a kilometer away, the new "Oradour" has been built.

Oradour sur Glane - Limoges: bus 12 runs about 3 times a day (spread throughout the day) the 21 kilometers and costs 2 euros per person. The bus leaves from the main bus station in Limoges and drives to Oradour where you are dropped close to the museum.

• Name: "Oradour Memorial Center"

Address: Center de la memoire d'Oradour

Price: 7.80 euros (including the ruins of the martyr village)

Time: from 09:00

Content:

The museum that is linked by a tunnel to the ruins (the martyr village) that can be visited freely is an interesting sight to visit - even if you decide to view the ruins first. In this museum will by means of 300 documents, archives, photos, films, maps and organization charts questions such as: "why was this city sorted out", "who were in charge of the Nazis", "were there survivors" and "are the perpetrators jailed"? are answered. There is a film (also in English), possibility to listen to an English tape recorder and options for putting away bags and coats. There is also a "memorial shop" where many books, brochures and other information material about WWII can be found (for sale). Very interesting and a must-visit next to a visit to the martyr village itself.

If you want some food and drinks near the museum you can walk into the main street in the new part and take a seat at the first corner - we ordered a beer (blond) with a pizza (4 euros) and an ice cream (3 euros). In retrospect, we were not really satisfied with the price-quality ratio. The dark owner wasn’t that friendly although it is a nice place to sit on the terrace.

• Wild camping spot: "Oradour sur Glane"

Content:

It is far from an ideal place; but because we had little time and wanted to stay near the "site" we found a spot right behind the cemetery. You can (if you are lucky, the doors of the site are still open) walk past the cemetery and the monument to a small triangle of a forest in the bend of the road. Between a piece of land and the road is a place to put two tents and a small camp. Watch out for the passing cars and people along the road that have a good view through the forest where there is a lever. You can get water at a pump next to the bus station in "Oradour" and there are some small shops.