The Ministry of Culture and the Heritage Foundation announced this Monday, April 29, 2024 the signing of a sponsorship agreement with Dassault Histoire et Patrimoine that will bring a million euros to the project of restoration of the martyr village of Oradour-sur-Glane (Haute-Vienne).
Sensitive to the need to preserve and transmit to future generations of all countries this unique place of memory, Dassault Histoire et Patrimoine is committed through a patronage of one million euros. This sponsorship will amplify the conservation work of the 10 hectares undertaken over the coming months under the responsibility of the State services in connection with the communities and the national association of families of martyrs of Oradour-sur-Glane. They will include crystallizing the most sensitive elements of the martyr village, to restore various parts and buildings of the site that require maintenance but also to ensure the protection of movable property on the basis of a master plan validated on 14 December 2023 by the National Commission of Heritage and Architecture.
In June 2023, the Ministry of Culture and the Heritage Foundation launched a collection of donations in favor of the preservation and transmission of the martyr village of Oradour. The objective is to mobilize a large community of French and foreign donors.
A few weeks before the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the massacre, on June 10, 1944, of 643 innocent victims of Nazi barbarism in the village of Oradour-sur-Glane, this first major national patronage in favor of the site allows to encourage all those who wish to give in favor of this place of memory so important.
The collection of donations is open on the website of the Heritage Foundation.
All tax-exempt donations are made to: https://www.fondation-patrimoine.org/les-projets/village-martyr-doradour-sur-glane
For Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture : “While the witnesses of the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre have now disappeared, the ruins of the village are the surest way to keep their memory alive. The Ministry of Culture is therefore fully committed to the maintenance and restoration of these remains. At the dawn of the celebrations of the 80 years of the Liberation, the reinforcement of the Heritage Foundation and the Dassault History and Heritage Foundation is welcome given the scope of work to be undertaken. Thanks to everyone’s commitment, let us keep the memory of this place alive and pass it on to future generations.”
For the President of the Heritage Foundation, Guillaume Poitrinal : “Dassault Histoire et Patrimoine is once again at the rendezvous, alongside the Heritage Foundation, to save and transmit France’s historical heritage. By making it possible to safeguard the martyr village of Oradour-sur-Glane with the Ministry of Culture, the Dassault family is again illustrated in the history of our country. This great national patronage will allow the preservation of the site. On the eve of the commemoration of the 80 years of the massacre, it is a strong signal that, by recalling the horror of the past, ardently revives the hope of a better world.”
For the Director of Communication and Sponsorship at Dassault Group, Marie-Hélène Habert : “Our family is very attached to our heritage. It is a link with our history, a social bond that continues, places that bring us together by overcoming our differences. Saving and giving for heritage is more than passing on our heritage to future generations, it is perpetuating this possibility of collective symbiosis and giving us a chance to succeed in our common future. There is no progress without memory. Each monument preserves the memory of the events and illustrious figures who erected it and who, together, shaped our culture and values. Heritage helps us to build our collective identity, it is a testimony of centuries. It embellishes daily life, it is shared, it tells the story of those who came before us.”
About the Dassault Group
Dassault Group has been at the forefront of French industry for a century now. The strength of our company is due to more than 35,000 employees who work every day with passion and commitment to keep the pioneering spirit of Marcel and Serge Dassault alive.
Through the Dassault Histoire et Patrimoine endowment, the Dassault Group and the Heritage Foundation entered into a 10-year partnership in 2021 to support the safeguarding of treasures of our heritage across France.
About the Heritage Foundation, the leading player in generosity for heritage
The Heritage Foundation was created by the law of 2 July 1996 and recognized as a public utility by a decree of 18 April 1997. Organized around its 21 regional delegations, it relies on a network of 950 volunteer delegates who work every day to preserve this local heritage.
Since its inception more than 25 years ago, the Heritage Foundation has provided financial support for the restoration of 39,000 public and private heritage sites. These theatres, churches, fountains, factories, parks, residences, old vehicles and others are an immense wealth for France in a world in constant evolution.
By actively participating in the strengthening of the attractiveness of territories, the Foundation has become over the years, a privileged partner of local actors and an effective driver of sustainable economic development of our country, contributing to the creation of jobs, by participating in the transmission of know-how, professional integration and the training of young people. Popular patronage that appeals to public generosity is the most emblematic tool of the Heritage Foundation.
Currently, the Heritage Foundation has nearly 2,500 projects open to donations on its website.
About the Ministry of Culture
The law of 10 May 1946 transferred ownership of the remains of the martyr village of Oradour-sur-Glane to the State and declared its classification as a historical monument. The Ministry of Culture, responsible for the site, has constantly maintained the martyr village of Oradour-sur-Glane (Haute-Vienne). However, the passage of time and the bad weather caused an erosion of the remains which was amplified with the approach of the 80 years of the massacre and requires a conservation intervention of greater magnitude. Faced with this rapid acceleration of the deterioration of the remains, the question arises of the sustainability of the site and the maintenance of the memory of the victims of Nazi crimes.
On the basis of a master plan validated by the National Commission of Heritage and Architecture, on 14 December 2023, providing for the restoration and maintenance of the site and valued at 19 million euros over a period of fifteen years, a new management plan to ensure the preservation of the site in its entirety, and the amplification of the conservation work of the 10 hectares must be initiated in the coming months.