Center de la mémoire (Oradour-sur-Glane)
The Center de la mémoire in Oradour-sur-Glane has set itself the task of commemorating the Oradour massacre , a war crime committed by the Waffen-SS on June 10, 1944, of informing about it and as a memorial for future generations Act.
Emergence
At the initiative of Jean-Claude Peyronnet, President of the Conseil Général of the Haute-Vienne and in agreement with the French Association of Families of Martyrs, the project was presented to the then French President François Mitterrand in 1989 . In 1992, the project management was specified in an international tender and received the support of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Disabled and Veterans, the region and the European Community. In 1994 a project manager was hired who was entrusted with the historical research and with the coordination of the project. At the same time, it was decided to transfer responsibility for the architecture and construction to Yves Devraine and his team.
In 1999 the Center de la mémoire was opened by Jacques Chirac and the French Minister for Culture, Catherine Trautmann .
Since 2001 an Austrian memorial service can be done in the Center de la mémoire.
In 2002 the Center de la mémoire already had 300,000 visitors who could view both the permanent exhibition and temporary projects.
architecture
According to the concept of Yves Devraine, the Center de la mémoire should form a symbiosis with the landscape and thus become a kind of “ non-architecture ”. This so-called "non-architecture" consists of a roof from which one can take a look over the Glane Valley , the ruins and the new village and is additionally underlined by a central crack in the building, indicated by rusted steel plates. This crack should symbolize the destruction through its shape, show the transience through its material and thus offer an aged appearance. The entire complex was partially sunk into the ground so as not to distract from the ruins or even to cover them up.
Exhibitions
In the circular entrance hall, the visitor is confronted with two highly symbolic photographs: On the one hand Adolf Hitler in his speech to the crowds at the Nazi Party stands in Nuremberg, on the other hand, the word "Souviens-toi" (Remember) that also can be read at the entrance to the ruins of Oradours. The permanent exhibition is also held in this style of opposites. This is how - with the help of the colors black and red - Nazism and the career of the SS division “Das Reich” are described. In contrast, there is the description of daily life in Oradour before the massacre, represented with the help of soft, light colors and materials. The documentation center is located on the lowest level with its modularly changeable rooms, which make it possible to receive groups of students as well as teachers or teachers under optimal conditions. Le Center de documentation contains extensive documentation from French and foreign archives with photographs, films, publications and magazines. It was initially used for historical research in preparation for the permanent exhibition.
The sobriety conveyed by the external appearance enables everyone to pursue their own considerations. The size of the glazed and mirrored surface invites the visitor on a journey from the past to the future, which is on the other side of the mirror.
graveyard
The Cimetière d'Oradour-sur-Glane cemetery is also a memorial.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Verein Österreichischer Auslandsdienst: Description of the place of deployment ( memento of the original from April 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 45 ° 55 ′ 45 ″ N , 1 ° 2 ′ 7 ″ E