General

        1) The first point to remember is that whilst Oradour-sur-Glane is often referred to simply as, "Oradour", there are in fact seven places in France which include the name Oradour and it is obviously important to make sure that you visit the right one: see The Oradours of France.

    Oradour-sur-Glane is in the Haute-Vienne, Department 87 of France and is located about 12 miles West of Limoges on the D9, which is off the N141 (E603). This part of France falls within the area known today as, the Languedoc (The Land of the Oc), Oc is the Occitan word for "Yes". Occitan was until quite recently, used locally instead of French and in the Occitan language, Oradour-sur-Glane, is spelled as, "Orador de Glana".

    The area of the Haute-Vienne itself is predominantly agricultural in nature, with little industry, apart from that in Limoges itself.

    To get to Oradour-sur-Glane by public transport means taking the train to Limoges and then either bus or taxi out to Oradour. The more usual method this day is to travel direct by car. Assuming that you are coming from the north, take the A20 Autoroute (Motorway) south from Vierzon and follow the tourist signs for Oradour, which begin just north of Limoges. Most motorways in France are toll roads and are not especially cheap to use, but they are relatively traffic free and fast with plentiful stopping places. As a guide to the cost from Calais to Limoges, reckon on about €40 each way for all the tolls. The A20 is toll free at present and I think that it will remain so. The speed limit on all motorways is 130 kph (81mph) in the dry and 110 kph (69mph) in the wet (when the lower limit applies, it is indicated by illuminated roadside signs). I recommend using the Michelin Tourist and Motoring Atlas for France at a scale of 1:200000 (1cm = 2km) as this shows all routes and also indicates which Autoroutes (Motorways) charge tolls and which are toll-free.

    Another option which I have not personally tried, but those of you living in the European area might like to consider, is to fly. Currently the budget airline Ryanair (http://www.ryanair.com) offers very cheap flights from Stansted in the UK, to Limoges, which can make a fly & car hire visit, far quicker than driving through France, especially after you have taken the channel crossing time into account.

    Limoges is famous for its porcelain industry and if you are so inclined there are factory outlets in the city where you can buy both perfect and seconds from all the famous makes. The French National Porcelain Museum (Musée Andrien-Dubouchée) is located within the city just off the N141, with good car parking facilities immediately adjacent.

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The Centre de la Mémoire

     2) The current visitor centre for the ruins is called the "Centre de la Mémoire" and it opened in April 1999. It is on your left as you enter the new town from Limoges and has ample free parking facilities without any height restrictions. The Centre is open every day, but beware the long lunch break between 12:00 and 14:00. During this time the reception area may possibly not be staffed, but the ruins will remain open: see the town map

    The main part of the Centre is free access, but for a charge of €7-50 (as of February 2008) you can enter a special section which provides more background information and view a video in French (with handsets that provide an English translation). The cost of seeing this exhibition has risen steadily since the Centre opened in April 1999: from 1999 to February 2002 it was 30FF (€4.90) and from February 2002 to February 2006 it was €6-00. It is in this section that there is a display board that ascribes the massacre to, "SS Commander Dickmann". There is no charge at all to enter the ruins themselves via the Centre, which is open every day as follows:

    The address of the Centre is: Centre de la Mémoire. 87 520. Oradour-sur-Glane. France.

    Telephone numbers are: +33 (0)5 55 43 04 30 for voice and +33 (0)5 55 43 04 31 for fax (the "+" symbol should be replaced by your country's international access code and the "0" in brackets left out when calling from outside France)

    The website for the Centre is shown on the Links page

    Note 1: That in order to preserve the ruins in the, 'best possible ruined state', frequent re-building work is carried out as necessary and this may    prevent access to all parts of the town during your visit.

    Note 2: The only building that is normally open for public access is the church, all the other properties can be viewed from the outside only.

    Note 3: Photography for private use is permitted without restriction throughout the ruins wherever you can walk.

    Note 4: Dogs are not allowed in either the Centre de la Mémoire, or the ruins.

    All prices and times were correct as of January 2008 if you find they have changed, please let me know and I will update this page.

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Hotels and other places to stay in the area

    3a) There are several hotels in the new Oradour, but one that I can recommend is the, Hotel de la Glane, in the Place du Général de Gaulle. This hotel is in the Logis de France chain and will cost about €60 per night for a double room including breakfast. Evening meals cost about €25 per head and for that you get three courses and wine. The restaurant is closed on Monday nights, but you can eat either next door at a separate restaurant, or walk down the main road to the Hotel Milord. You can book a room using the English language internet booking service on the Logis de France website: see the entry on the Links page. The hotel is extremely easy to find, just drive into town from Limoges on the N141 and it is on your right when you come to the Town Hall. The new town is quite small and it would be very difficult to get lost, see the town map of Oradour-sur-Glane new town for a street map (the hotel is between the symbols for the Town Hall and the Post Office). If you want to visit on any of the important anniversary dates, such as 10th June, or 11th November, then it is essential to book well in advance.

    I have been given a report to the effect that the Hotel Milord on the main road, just past the church, has a good restaurant (closed on Sunday nights), but I have no personal experience of it and only mention it to point out that there is a choice of place to stay in the new town. This hotel is not in the Logis de France network, but curiously is run by the same family as the Hotel de la Glane.

    3b) I have been informed of the existence in the area of Oradour-sur-Glane of various Gites, run by different British families  If you would like further information on this accommodation see the entries on the Links page. I have not stayed at any of these Gites, so can not personally say what they are like.

    3c) The tourist office in Oradour is located at: Office de Tourisme. Place du Champ de Foire. BP 16, 87520 Oradour-sur-Glane. France. Telephone  +33 (0)5 55 03 13 73 FAX  +33 (0)5 55 03 24 92 (the "+" symbol should be replaced by your country's international access code and the "0" in brackets left out when calling from outside France)

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Camping and Caravanning in the area

    4a) Since 2004, there has been an Aire de Repos (often simply called an, "Aire") in Oradour-sur-Glane for Camping Cars (Motorcaravans) and Caravans. It is clearly signposted as, "Aire de Repos" from the roundabout leading to the Centre de la Mémoire and it is located at the end of the Rue du Stade: see the town map. The Aire itself is free to use overnight and has marked places for 14 outfits (and unmarked capacity for many more). There is a water / electricity point (a borne) where you can get 100 litres of water, or an hour of electricity for €2. Also provided are washbasins and toilets (cold water only), a children's play area and even a barbeque point. During opening hours you can park your car / motorcaravan on the car park at the Centre. The Aire is open all year and is located adjacent to the sports / football ground in the Rue du Stade: see the town map and photograph. It is worth knowing that apart from a few spaces near the toilets, the Aire is not very horizontal and so levelling ramps will be required by Camping Cars.

    4b) A camping and caravan site that I can recommend is:

Camping Des Alouettes. Route de Rochechouart. 87310 Cognac-la-Foret. Tel: 05 55 03 26 93
From Aixe on D10, site west of Cognac-la-Foret on D10, signposted on the left.
This is a small, grassed, mostly sloping site with somewhat basic facilities.
Cost per night for two people in a motorcaravan or caravan, without electricity in 2006: €10-90 in high season and €8:50 in the low season.
Normally open from the beginning of April to the end of September.

Note 1): when calling outside France, leave off the initial "0" of the telephone number.
Note 2): see Links page for details of their website.

    4c) A camping and caravan site that I have stayed at in Limoges and which was due to re-open 1st July 2005 is:

Camp Municipal d'Uzurat, Allee d'Uzurat, 87280, Limoges. Tel 05 55 38 49 43 Fax 05 55 37 32 78
From A20 heading south, take exit junction 30, signposted, Limoges Nord Zone Industrielle, Lac d'Uzurat. Follow signs to Lac d'Uzurat and the site.
From the A20 heading north, exit junction 31 and follow signs as above.
Normally open all year, but in view of recent problems you are advised to call the site if travelling outside the spring - autumn months.

Note 1: when calling outside France, leave off the initial "0" of the telephone number.
Note 2: Zone Industrielle (Industrial Zone) is often abbreviated on road signs to, ZI

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Currency (the euro)

    5) For those wishing to visit France and see for yourselves the locations mentioned in this website, remember that starting on 1st January 2002 France changed its currency from the French Franc (FF) to the euro (€). This process was completed on 17 February 2002 and now only euro are legal tender. The exchange rate for the Franc to the euro has been fixed at, €1 equals FF 6.55957 and I believe that you can still change old French Franc bank notes only to euro by way of the Bank de France.

    At the time of writing (January 2008) the exchange rate for the $ to the euro was, $1-00 equals approximately €0-68 and for the £ it was £1-00 equals approximately €1-33. It was not possible to obtain euro before 1st January 2002, but traveller's cheques were available several months in advance for the new currency.

    For those of you living in the Sterling zone, a reasonably accurate conversion from £ to euro can be had by looking at your vehicle's speedometer. For example 50 mph = 80 kph and the same relationship is approximately true for £ to euro (and vice versa), e.g. £50 = €80. I Hope that this helps you to get a feel for the value of the new currency.

    In (British) English the plural of euro, is euro (not euros, or Euros) and it is written all in lower case. The currency is divided into euro and cents, with 100 cents to the euro, so €2-55 is spoken as, "two euro and fifty-five cents". These conventions are often ignored and it is common to hear and see written the term, "Euros". In France I have often heard French people refer to Euros and Centimes, so things are not as black-and-white as official sources would wish.

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© Michael Williams: revised 05 August 2008.