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All data are believed to be correct at the
time of writing: please advise me at:
michael@oradour.info
if you find any changes.
For the most up-to-date health requirements
regarding Covid-19, read the
guidance on the official
Centre de la Mémoire website at:
https://www.oradour.org before visiting.
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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"
as either a part, or as the whole of their title and it is
obviously important to make sure that you visit the right one. The second point
to remember is that the village name is often spelled in the literature and on the
internet as "Oradour sur Glane" without the hyphens, however on
this website I am following the French mapping convention which includes them, see:
The Oradours of France.
Oradour-sur-Glane is in the Haute-Vienne, Department 87 of France and is located
about 22 kilometers North-West of Limoges on the D9, which is off the N141 (E603). It takes
about 25-30 minutes to travel by car on quiet roads between the two places. This
part of France falls within the area known today as, the
Languedoc (The Language of the Oc). "Oc" is the Occitan word for
"Yes"
and Occitan was, until quite recently, used locally instead of French. 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
these days 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 brown tourist signs
for Oradour-sur-Glane,
which begin just north of Limoges. Many 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 itself is in part, toll free). 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 on the motorways). 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.
There is a bus service
from Limoges to Oradour-sur-Glane. I have not personally tried it, but for a
timetable see:
https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Limoges/Oradour-sur-Glane-Station
Another possibility is to use a Uber taxi, which could
be considerably cheaper than a regular taxi.
Travel times and
distances from some French cities are: Calais 7½ hours and 720 kilometers. Paris 4¾ hours and
425 kilometers. Bordeaux 2¾
hours and 200 kilometers. Cherbourg 6¼ hours and 585 kilometers. All these times and
distances are based on taking Autoroutes whenever possible and driving at the
maximum permitted speeds. If you are not comfortable with driving at 81mph
(130kph) on Autoroutes, then additional time will have to be allowed for the
journey.
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
offers cheap flights from Stansted and other airports 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
into account. It could be worthwhile checking with other carriers as well, if this option appeals to you.
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
Adrien Dubouché) is located within the city just off the N141, with good car parking
facilities immediately adjacent.
The Tourist Office in
Oradour is located at:
Office de Tourisme.
Place du Champ de Foire.
87520
Oradour-sur-Glane.
France.
GPS Co-Ordinates for the car park
entrance for the Tourist Office in decimal notation are: North 45.93248,
East 1.03299
Telephone:
+33
(0)5 55 03
13 73 for voice and +33
(0)5 55 03
24 92 for FAX (the "+" symbol should
be replaced by your country's international access code and the "0" in brackets
omitted when calling from outside France)
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The
current visitor centre for the ruins
of Oradour-sur-Glane is called the,
Centre de la Mémoire and it opened in April 1999,
replacing the two small kiosks at the north and
south ends of the main street.
It is on your left as you enter the new village on the road from Limoges and has ample free parking facilities without any height restrictions.
The Centre is open every day of the week, 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
village map
- During opening hours you can park your vehicle
for no charge on the car park at
the Centre de la Mémoire.
- GPS Co-Ordinates for
the car park entrance in decimal notation are: North 45.92911, East 1.03319
The main part of the Centre is free access, but
for a charge of €7-80 (as of 2021), you can enter a special section which
provides more background information and watch 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 April 1999 to February 2002
it was 30FF (€4.90) and from February 2002 to February 2006 it was €6-00
and in 2015 it was €7-80. It is
in this section that there is a display board that attributes the massacre to,
SS Commander Dickmann
(sic).
There is often an
additional war, or terrorist related exhibition held in the Centre and usually
there will be a separate admission charge to enter this section. For example, in
2009, the theme was the terrorist attack on 9-11 in the USA.
There is no charge at all to enter the ruins themselves via the Centre, which is open every day
of the week as follows:
The postal address of the Centre is:
Centre de la Mémoire.
87520. Oradour-sur-Glane.
France.
GPS Co-Ordinates for the car park
entrance for the Centre de la Mémoire in decimal notation are: North 45.92911,
East 1.03319
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)
- 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
some parts of the village during your visit.
- Note 2: The only building
in the ruins 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, but not in the Centre de la Mémoire itself.
- Note 4:
Dogs are not allowed in either the Centre de la Mémoire or the ruins (this policy does not apply to assistance dogs).
- Note 5: There is
wheelchair access to the ruins via a lift
on the ruins side of the Centre de la Mémoire. It is possible to take a
wheelchair throughout the streets and the cemetery of Oradour, but there is no
wheelchair access into the church. The wheelchair access to the ruins is only really viable
during the opening hours of the Centre, if you were attempting to gain access,
or leave after the centre had closed, then you would have to use the
out of hours gate and run the chair over a
grassed area to / from the D9 (see above).
All prices and times were correct as of
August 2015, if
you find they have changed please let me know and I will update this page.
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Hotels in Oradour-sur-Glane
There are several hotels in the new Oradour and I suggest doing an
online search to find one that suites your needs.
The list below of accommodation in the area,
was last updated
22 November 2024.
-
Chambre d'hôtes Le Queyroix-Martin
This accommodation is located in Vaulry, situated in the Monts de Blond, 20
minutes by car north of Oradour-sur-Glane. The chambre d'hôtes is a
converted stone built barn and has 3 double bedrooms all with en-suite
facilities. Table d'hôtes evening meals can be reserved in advance. The
owners are English and can also speak French.
I have not personally tried or visited the accommodation.
I am willing to accept new
entries for this accommodation list at no cost, on the proviso that your own
website mentions this website and Oradour-sur-Glane. If you would like your property added,
please email with full details to:
michael@oradour.info This section of the website is checked regularly and
any dead links will be removed as soon as discovered (to date I have never been asked to
remove a link when the business stopped trading).
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Parking for all vehicles
- There is plenty of free car parking space in
the new Oradour-sur-Glane, starting with that at the Centre de la Mémoire, this parking can
accommodate both cars and Motor Caravans, or RVs during daylight hours. In
addition there is a large car-park just off the roundabout by the Centre de la Mémoire on the D9, see the village plan for details. If
towing a caravan you are probably best advised to leave the caravan on a
site, such as the one shown below and visit without it, as parking in
the new village has not been designed to accommodate such long vehicles.
Aire for Motor Caravans (Campervans, Camping-Cars, Motorhomes, Kampers, Wohnmobile,
Reismobil, Bobil, Husbil, RVs)
- There has been an
Aire de Repos
(often simply called an, "Aire" in French) for
Motor Caravans in Oradour-sur-Glane
since 2004. 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 village map. The Aire itself
was free to use overnight from 2004 until 2024 and since spring 2024 it has
cost around €17 per night, including Taxe de Séjour, electricity, water and
waste disposal. It has
places for 27 outfits (sometimes these spaces are marked and sometimes they
are unmarked (it varies from year to year). There is a water
point (a Borne) where you can get water and empty toilet cassettes. Also provided are washbasins (cold water only) and toilets, a
children's play area and even a barbeque point. The Aire is open all
year and is located adjacent to the sports and football ground
on the Rue du Stade:
see the village map and
view overlooking
and
view from entrance and
view of a Motor Caravan using the service point. It is
worth knowing that apart from a few spaces near the toilets, the Aire is not
very horizontal and so levelling ramps may be required by Motor Caravans depending
on how level you like to be when stopped.
- The Aire is in the
Camping-Car Park network and uses a Pass'Etapes card for access which you
can get from the dispenser at the entrance to the Aire and then load it with
credit using a Credit Card, or Debit Card (see
www.campingcarpark.com) ,there
is also an App for Smartphones and a telephone number for enquiries / help (+33 (0)1 83 64 6921: English spoken)
- GPS Co-Ordinates (in decimal notation) for
the entrance to the Aire are: North 45.93570, East 1.02472
- During opening
hours you can park your car no charge on the car park at
the Centre de la Mémoire, watch out for height barriers at the entrance if
carrying bikes on the roof, or if your vehicle is tall. There is a public
car park without a height barrier just off the roundabout leading to the
Centre de la Mémoire, but this is not intended for overnight stays (use the
Aire de Repos mentioned above).
- It is obvious that many visitors who come to Oradour by
Motor Caravan, do
not realise the significance of the 10th of June and whilst the
Aire de Repos was quite full on the 9th
of June in 2009 and again in 2012 and 2014 and yet again in 2024, it was no busier on the 10th
itself.
Motor Caravan, Camping Car, RV, Caravan and Tent Camp
sites
-
Camping des Alouettes
in Cognac-la-Forêt.
This is a pleasant, quiet and reasonably priced rural
site which has an outdoor swimming pool that I have stayed at in 2014. The website has English, French and Dutch
sections. Telephone 05 55 03 26 93. GPS coordinates (in decimal notation)
are: North 45.82494, East 0.99674
I am willing to accept new
entries for camp sites / Aires at no cost, on the proviso that your own website
mentions this website and Oradour-sur-Glane. If you would like your camp site
added, please email with full details to:
michael@oradour.info This section of the website is checked regularly and
any dead links will be removed as soon as discovered (to date I have never been asked to
remove a link when the business stopped trading).
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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.
Before making any
travel plans of your own for a visit, be sure to check the current exchange rate
of the euro to your local currency
for yourself.
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.
In (British) English the plural of euro, is euro (not euros, or
Euros) and for cent, it is cent, not cents. Both euro and cent are intended to
be written in lower case. The currency is
divided into euro and cent, with 100 cent to the euro, so €2-55
is spoken as, "two euro and fifty-five cent". These intentions are
often ignored and it is common to hear and see written, the term "Euros"
and "Cents". 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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Every year on the 10th of
June, a commemoration ceremony is held in Oradour-sur-Glane to mark the
anniversary of the tragedy. This event takes the form of a service at the
church in the new village, followed by a short
meeting in the Town Hall, followed by a
visit to the school memorial, then on to
the ruined church and finally a
wreath laying at the main memorial in
the cemetery. Usually the ceremony is attended by various dignitaries
representing local and regional government as well as
survivors of the massacre, such as
Robert Hébras. On
major anniversaries, representatives from the national government will also
attend. See the
Picture Gallery for images of the 65th, the
68th and the 70th anniversary commemorations..
As an example of the timing of events, here is the program for the 68th
anniversary, held on Sunday June 10th 2012. Note that the participants march in
procession from place to place, carrying the banners of their various
organisations with them.
14:00 ... Mass in the Catholic new church of Oradour-sur-Glane
15:00 ... Reception of the personalities and other participants in the Town
Hall
15:15 ... The procession leaves the Town Hall
15:30 ... Laying of the wreaths at the monument for the children at the
school
15:45 ... Laying of the wreaths at the monument for the dead of both World
Wars
16:15 ... Laying of the wreaths in the old church of Oradour-sur-Glane
16:25 ... A minutes silence held on the fairground of the old village of
Oradour-sur-Glane
16:35 ... Laying of the wreaths at the memorial to the dead of Oradour in the
cemetery
17:00 ... End of the ceremony
For the timing of the event for any particular year and the exact program to
be followed, it is best to enquire at the Centre de la Mémoire nearer the time.
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© Michael Williams: 10th March
2000, revised
22 November 2024.
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