Today, it is often hard to imagine the extent of destruction suffered by some European cities during World War II. While most cities and towns were quickly rebuilt after the war, one village has been preserved as a memorial to the victims who once lived there.
On 10 June 1944, the French village of Oradour-sur-Glane was destroyed by the Nazi Waffen-SS division. A total of 642 people were massacred as the Nazis burned the village and shot anyone who attempted to escape the flames. Following the war, then French President Charles de Gaulle decided the original village would remain untouched as a lasting memorial, and that is how the village stands today.
Often referred to as “Le Village Martyr d’Oradour-sur-Glane” or Martyr Village, the original town is walled off from the new Oradour-sur-Glane and lies behind a memorial museum called the Centre de la Mémoire d’Oradour.
Both the village and the museum have become popular tourist attractions, with hundreds of artefacts on display not only in the museum but also scattered around the streets of the village, untouched for almost 70 years.
The video above offers fantastic shots of the village. In some instances, it almost resembles a movie set. The haunting reality that this was once a thriving town makes the video all the more impactful.
Museum Website http://www.oradour.org/
