The Court building at Bordeaux in 2010
This photograph, taken in June 2010, shows the outside of the Court building in Bordeaux, where the trial of the SS men known to have been at Oradour was held in 1953. In 1953 the building was only two stories high, the glassed top story either side of the tower has been added at some later date. The tower itself is known locally as "The Arab Tower" on account of its shape. If you wish to view the location for yourself be warned that the centre of Bordeaux is a maze of narrow one-way streets and any self-guided visit is going to be a bit easier on a Sunday when the traffic is quieter. The location of the Court building is: 188 Rue Pessac, at the junction with the Rue des Treuils. The Court is not open to the general public armed with cameras! For details of the trial, see Chapter 5 of In a Ruined State on this website.
© Michael Williams: July 2010