Imagine what this Limousin town might have been like before the tragedy is almost impossible for today's visitor. Too many vestiges still present, the last witnesses of an act of barbarism, prevent believing that a peaceful life could have flowed there normally until that fateful day of June 10, 1944. This drama unfortunately inscribed the name of Oradour-sur-Glane in the columns of History. Very sad notoriety for beings who died without ever knowing why such savagery befell them.
When General de Gaulle visited the scene sometime after the massacre, he wished that the ruins were preserved so that future generations could see, witness, and not forget the consequences that such an act of brutal madness can engender. But, unfortunately, these ruins are still there. They impose respect and sadness on those who cross them.
These tattered, tortured shreds of walls that no longer protect anyone, these electric wires which no longer serve any purpose, these tram rails which lead nowhere; these signs of ghost shops, make Oradour-sur-Glane an oppressive shadow. What is the relationship between these vestiges of desolation and a village full of life? None, if not the result of murderous madness of man.
When my mother gave birth to me, Oradour-sur-Glane was one of the many Limousin towns as there are still so many others
today. Hanging on the side of a green hill and bathed by the Glane, life unfolded there smoothly and in full harmony with nature. Proximity
of Limoges and its surroundings full of charm, earned it a boom that many towns envied. From the neighborhood. The townspeople of the time willingly came to spend a few hours there, the time of a
picnic or a fishing trip in the Glane, a small river known to be full of fish. For to welcome this clientele, several hotels and restaurants increased in the quality of the welcome and the delicacy of the dishes. Oradour had forged the reputation of a peaceful, pleasant village where hewas good to stay there.
The shops of the village were well assorted, and some even made the detour to do their shopping. There was everything there, and everyone knew that the welcome of the traders was the most remarkable for the dedication and the kindly advice they were able to provide.
The church, a remarkable architectural building, was particularly renowned for its super ribbed vault, which rested on four consoles carved with figures.
Three schools welcomed the children of the village. The first, that of the boys, was located opposite the tram station; the second, girls, had two classes in the center. Finally, the third, the kindergarten, was on the road to Nieul and corresponded to today's kindergarten. At the end of 1940, the arrival of Moselle refugees expelled from their homes by the Germans required the opening of an additional school. We built at for this purpose, a building near the kindergarten. The teacher, Mr. Gougeon, himself expels de Moselle, took charge of this new class, 6.
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