4 . La Chapelle-en-Vercors , The courtyard of the executed , June 2022 . © Mathilde Greuet
( as in Greece between 1949 and 1977 ) or relative neglect ( as with Lidice after 1989 ). While the site of Lidice , elevated as a symbol during the communist era , has seen renewed political interest in recent years , other sites have faced different challenges . In Marzabotto , for example , the centralisation of memory in the village ( crypt-memorial , museum ) long overlooked the scattered traces in the Montesole hills , where much of the massacre took place . In Oradour , the “ martyred village ” became a pilgrimage site as early as late 1944 , attracting many visitors . General de Gaulle ’ s speech during his visit in March 1945 confirmed its status as a national symbol . Official visits increased , and the village was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honour . In 1947 , Vincent Auriol laid the first stone for the reconstruction of a new Oradoursur-Glane beside the ruins of the original village . A turning point in the political significance of the site came in 1953 , with the Oradour military trial held in Bordeaux . While the verdict condemned all the accused , Parliament passed an amnesty law days later for 13 Alsatians forcibly conscripted into the Das Reich division . This law was not well
5 . Site of the former village of Lidice in the Czech Republic . 2009 . © Peter Stehlik
36
Observing Memories Issue 8