Village martyr d'Ouradour-sur-Glane

The village of Oradour-sur-Glane in Central France is an important–and somber–landmark of World War II. The entire village was destroyed in 1944, when a company of German Waffen-SS troops led by an Austrian lieutenant, killed 642 villagers. In 1953, the village was restored as a shrine and memorial. Its museum, housed in a former schoolhouse, contains photos, documents and artifacts related to the mass destruction and its aftermath. Visitors can stroll through the ruined streets of the former village, where the wreckage of cars, homes and churches remain. There is also a memorial chapel that lists all those murdered, including a memorial garden and a war cemetery. A visit to this village should be a profound reminder of a brutal tragedy of World War II that must never be forgotten.