The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Oradour-sur-Glane, France in 2023

“Even today Hitler roams, clad in white and azure polychrome, to those blind to the atrocities, a humble request to stroll the Gaza streets, it was the blood of the Jews that lined the pew, now the streets run crimson with the life force of children of star and crescent.”

Fatima Naqvi

Visiting Oradour-sur-Glane, France is like traveling through time, landing in a village that has been preserved to look exactly as it did after the smoke settled on 10th June 1944. Oradour-sur-Glane was once a quaint farming village in west-central France that has now turned into a museum of massacre and a memorial to the lives lost at the hands of Nazis during World War II. 

In this article, we will provide you with the ultimate guide to visiting Oradour-sur-Glane, France. So, stick with us as we take you to a place that tells a harrowing tale of the horrors humans are capable of. 

Visiting Oradour-sur-Glane, France – History 

Oradour-sur-Glane was a small, uninfluential farming town. The reason why the Nazis targeted it still remains a mystery. At about 14:00 the SS troops swarmed the small village and ordered the inhabitants to go to the fairground. At about 15:30, men were separated from children and women. Women and children were directed to the church, where they were locked, and an incendiary device was placed. At 16:00 an explosion was heard, that destroyed the church and took the lives of 205 children, and 247 women. 

Meanwhile, the men were dragged to sheds and barns where they were greeted with the rain of machine gun bullets, targeting their legs so they couldn’t walk. After rendering them immovable, the troops covered them with fuel and burned them alive. The SS troops killed a total of 185 village men. During this time numerous fires raged, and the village was looted. Only one woman, 47-year-old Marguerite Rouffanche survived the brutal attack by escaping through the rear window and hiding in the bushes overnight. 

Visiting Oradour-sur-Glane, France – Location 

The village is located near Limoges, at about a 25-minute drive. If you are staying in Paris then it will take you about 2.4 hours to get there, from Bordeaux, approximately 2.5 hours, and from Normandy about 4.5 hours. To get to Oradour-sur-Glane you can hop on a train to Limoges and from there rent a car, that will take you to the village.

Visiting Oradour-sur-Glane, France – Where to Stay?

When visiting Oradour-sur-Glane, France it is best to stay at Limoges. The city has the following accommodations to offer. 

The Originals City, Hôtel le Saint-Martial, Limoges 

This hotel is a great accommodation in Limoges that is adorned with bright décor, harbors spacious rooms and offers free Wi-Fi. Parking is available at the hotel and there is also a daily breakfast buffet, which if you prefer, can be delivered to your room. The hotel is at a fairly central location of the city, about a 10-minute walk away from the city centre and 5 minutes away from the Limoges-Bénédictins train station. The place is clean, the staff friendly, and the breakfast is delicious, what more could you want?

La Maison Blanche 

For those gravitating towards a more modern and classier feel, La Maison Blanche is the best hotel. The hotel houses a gorgeous, shared lounge area, and an outdoor space, and offers its guests air conditioning and free Wi-Fi. La Maison Blanche harbors rooms suiting everyone’s taste, from standard studios to deluxe apartments to family rooms. Moreover, all the rooms also have kitchenettes, where you can whip up a snack to munch on while visiting Oradour-sur-Glane. 

Ibis Budget Limoges Nord

If visiting Oradour-sur-Glane on a budget is what’s on your mind, then a stay at the Ibis Budget Limoges Nord will do you a whole lot of good. The hotel rooms come with soundproofing, air conditioning, and free Wi-Fi. There is also a free, secure, and private parking area. Moreover, you can bring your furry friends there as pets are allowed. 

Is Visiting Oradour-sur-Glane, France Worth it?

“To all who believe Hitler has deceased, Cast your eyes to the Mediterranean Seas, donning a new face the Holocaust proceeds, oh mankind for how long will you be deceived, is power and wealth all that you desire? While your fellow men live in a state of dire. “

Fatima Naqvi

Visiting Oradour-sur-Glane is absolutely worth it, and the attraction is perfect for lots of different types of tourists. If you are a historian, a student, or a professor, then learning about this historical place and the event that turned it upside down is a must. This attack was the worst civilian atrocity that happened in France during World War II, just four days after D-Day. An aspect that makes this place even more appealing is that it has been left entirely untouched since the day of the atrocity. When visiting the place, you will be able to see the holes in the walls, left from gunshots, baby prams left in the streets, and cars sunken into the ground. 

When the war ceased a new village was built, but the original ruins were kept as a permanent memorial. This preservation of the Oradour-sur-Glane was ordered by the then-president Charles de Gaulle. Tourists visiting the place can also tour the Centre de la mémoire d’Oradour, which is a museum that is located next to the memorial site. 

To learn how the atrocities of vile men claimed the lives of many innocents and what pain was inflicted on those who were neither political nor influential, visit to this site is a must. It will also open your eyes to the atrocities happening in Palestine right now, where men, women, and children are being subjected to the similar torchers, the people in World War II were subjected to. 

Visiting Oradour-sur-Glane, France – What to See?

Oradour-sur-Glane is a small but powerful village and one must spend a couple of hours in the place to see it whole and learn its history. The preserved village was once a thriving place to work and live, and inhabited by many happy families, families that were wiped off the face of the earth in the most brutal way possible. As you stroll down the village you will come across homes and workplaces that are labeled with the names of those who lived and worked there.

With a tram line running in the middle and houses lining the sides, the streets are also filled with hair salons, cafes, butchers, and also have a school. Visitors aren’t allowed into houses or buildings, except the church, where most of the actual massacre took place. This is that very church where women and children were taken to be brutally murdered. They were gassed, shot, and burned alive in the place where they used to pray, their sanctuary. You can still see the bullet holes in the walls of the church and its altar. 

Nearby is a cemetery, that is the resting place of the victims of the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre. There is a wall there, listing the names of the victims, and a memorial with stories and personal artifacts of the villagers that were killed. Visiting Oradour-sur-Glane, France is a sobering experience, one that will stay with you till the very end, and change your perception of a lot of things.

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