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Oradour Memory Center on Glane à Oradour-sur-Glane en Haute-Vienne

Musée
Musée de la guerre 39-45
Musée du débarquement et de la libération
Haute-Vienne

Oradour Memory Center on Glane

    L'auze
    87520 Oradour-sur-Glane

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
10 juin 1944
Massacre of Oradour-sur-Glane
1989
Project launch
1992
International competition
16 juillet 1999
Opening of the Centre
2020
Negative damage
2025 (prévu)
Closure for renovation
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Jean-Claude Peyronnet - President of the General Council (1989) Initiator of the memorial project.
Yves Devraine - Centre Architect Designer of symbolic "non-architecture".
Jacques Chirac - President of the Republic (1999) Inaugurate the Centre with Trautmann.
Henry Rousso - Historian, Chair of the Scientific Committee Pilot museum renovation (2022).

Origin and history

The Memorial Center of Oradour-sur-Glane was designed to preserve the memory of the crimes committed by the SS Das Reich division on June 10, 1944, during the massacre of the village. Located close to the ruins preserved as a symbol, it functions as a museum-memorial and educational place. The establishment, managed by the departmental council of Haute-Vienne, enjoys financial and administrative autonomy.

The project was launched in 1989 by Jean-Claude Peyronnet, President of the General Council, with the agreement of the victims' families. An international competition in 1992 validates its implementation, supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Limousin region and the EEC. The architect Yves Devonne is responsible for designing a discreet building, integrated into the landscape, symbolizing the historical break by a "tear" in rusted steel.

Inaugurated on 16 July 1999 by Jacques Chirac, the Centre has welcomed some 300,000 visitors annually since 2002. His permanent exhibition contextualizes the massacre, while temporary exhibitions address various themes, such as Hitler's youth or the attacks of 11 September 2001. In 2022, a museum renovation was announced in 2024 (rescheduled to 2025), led by a scientific committee led by historian Henry Rousso.

The architecture of the Centre, partially buried, avoids overshadowing the nearby ruins. The entrance hall contrasts two strong images: Hitler harassing the crowd in Nuremberg and the inscription "Remember", taken again at the entrance of the martyr village. The interior spaces play on colour contrasts (black/red for Nazism, clear tones for everyday life in Oradour) and house a documentation centre for researchers and schools.

The site was the victim of negationist degradations in August 2020, with inscriptions as a " liar" and references to revisionist theories, quickly covered. These actions recall the continuing tensions around the memory of this tragedy, while stressing the importance of the Centre as a place of historical transmission and vigilance.

External links

Conditions of visit

  • Conditions de visite : Ouvert toute l'année
  • Ouverture annuelle : Du 1er février au 28 février : de 9h à 17h Du 1er mars au 15 mai : de 9h à 18h Du 16 mai au 15 septembre : de 9h à 19h Du 16 septembre au 31 octobre : de 9h à 18h Du 1er novembre au 15 décembre : de 9h à 17h
  • Tarif individuel : Tarif individuel : 7.80 euros
  • Contact organisation : 05 55 43 04 30