Oradour-sur-Glane, a village just west of Limoges, was beseiged, burnt out, 642 of its inhabitants slaughtered, a mere four days after the Normandy Beaches, DDay invasions by the allies in June 1944. Also known as ‘le village des martyrs’, it was decided to leave the village in ruins, as a reminder of those who died and of the atrocities of war and intolerance. It was very powerful walking around the ruins, visiting the burnt out church where the women and children were slaughtered & burned and the other buildings where the men were herded and killed. History is a funny thing, it’s amazing to think that this happened a mere 60+ years ago. It’s also amazing that Germany rose so quickly after World War I, to devastate Europe again in WWII.
There was also a fabulous exhibit memorializing 9/11, many details of which I had already forgotten. Many famous quotes were scattered around the exhibit, including the profound quote by George Santayana which I may not get entirely right here: “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it”.
Hey, I'm just a passer-by, found this article quite by accident. I visited Oradour-sur-Glane last October whilst on work experience in Limoges and just wanted to say that I share your sentiments regarding how powerful the place was; I remember feeling quite humbled when standing in the church ruins. I didn't go into the 9/11 exhibition but I remember the 'taster' artefacts in the main lobby - especially the credit card that had been in the back pocket of the one of the passengers of one of the planes.
ReplyDeleteBut also, it was the quote from Santayana you mentioned that led me to comment; I bought a postcard whilst there with that quote on in French: "Ceux qui oublient le passé se condamnent à le revivre." ~ it's a message that I've taken quite seriously since visiting there.
sorry for my ramble, I get quite carried away on such subjects.