Oradour-sur-Glane

History

The original village was destroyed on 10 June 1944, four days after D-Day, when 642 of its inhabitants, including 207 children, were massacred by a company of troops belonging to the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich, a Waffen-SS unit of the military forces of Nazi Germany. There were only 10 survivors, who escaped by pretending to be dead. A new village was built after the war on a nearby site, but on the orders of President Charles de Gaulle, the original has been maintained as a permanent memorial. The Center de la mémoire d'Oradour museum is situated adjacent to the historic site. The massacre at Oradour-sur-Glane bookends the documentary series The World at War, the first and final episodes showing images of the ruined village.

Geography

The municipality borders Javerdat, Cieux, Peyrilhac, Veyrac, Saint-Victurnien and Saint-Brice-sur-Vienne.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  913
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  845
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  740
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  738
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  727
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  656
• Unio mancus Lamarck, 1819

  Unio mancus Lamarck, 1819 · Bivalvia
  645
• Eurasian Blackcap

  Sylvia atricapilla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  548

Most recent

• M 4 — 2010-07-25
  5 km ENE of Saint-Maurice-la-Clouère, France
• M 2.6 — 2007-12-22
  9 km SW of Chaillac, France
• M 2.5 — 2007-06-24
  3 km WNW of Bussière-Dunoise, France
• M 2.7 — 2007-06-21
  5 km E of Bélâbre, France
• M 2.5 — 2007-05-26
  3 km NNW of Saint-Agnant-de-Versillat, France
• M 2.8 — 2006-10-19
  4 km N of Bussière-Poitevine, France