![]() ![]() The money which was en route to the Germans in Bordeaux simply disappeared.It was rumoured that the Resistant and later Culture Minister Andre Malraux knew where it all went. The village of Rouffignac,now a drab village just north west of Sarlat,was razed to the ground by Nazis as a reprisal but the only clue there is the war memorial which lists five deaths but gives no detail as to to the events of 31 March 1944.The worlds biggest ever bullion and cash heist was effected by the resistantce in St Astier just outside Perigueux. This was the same Victor Nessman who had worked with Albert Schweitzer in the leper colonies of the Congo. In Sarlat itself a plaque on the wall on Boulevard Nessman tells of Victor Nessman,a doctor and resistance leader who was arrested in his surgery and taken to Limoges to be tortured to death. In little Vezac another memorial is to the Mayors secretary who was shot outside the Mairie for failing to give information about local people. On the picturesque drive from Sarlat to Domme most tourists would fail to notice the memorial plaque on Vitrac bridge where a Resistant was shot and his body thrown over the parapet into the Dordogne. In the village of Mouleydier near Bergerac for instance there is a plaque and a visual description of the fierce fighting there in June 1944. You really have to keep your eyes open for little monuments and plaques as you drive around. There are also Roman remains in the Medoc but I have somehow mislaid the information I picked up a couple of years ago There are considerable Roan remains and a very good museum in Perigueux, so that's well worth a visit if that period interests you. Again, and for very good reason, none are highlighted. Within Bordeaux, especially around the old docks of the Bacalan area, it is possible to stumble upon a small number of similar WW2 relics. There's a picture of it in there as well. Soulac also has one of the most ancient and revered churches in France. Of some of the beach emplacements near Soulac taken in 2008. ![]() As the sea erodes the cliffs, they are gradually tumbling into the waves. Many of the low cliffs above the beaches have gun emplacements standing. Local bookshops in Soulac and other towns have a variety of books (in French) concerning that period of history, with photos and maps.Īlmost none of this is signposted or detailed on the ground, but it's often just a question of leaving your car (or in my case bicycle) and diving into the woods or walking along the long beaches and there they are. There is a little museum in the village of Soulac sur Mer, from where they make occasional conducted tours of some of the remains. This area was heavily fortified and saw some intense combat in April 1945. If you are prepared for a drive of some 90 miles out of Bordeaux, you can visit the remains of the many German defence installations still standing in the area of the Pointe de Grave, Soulac sur Mer and Montalivet and generally the tip of the Medoc region. ![]() As well as a vast archive of Resistance documents, the museum also provides guided tours in French and English.īordeaux museum open: Tuesday to Friday - 11:00 to 18:00 Saturday to Sunday - 14:00 to 18:00 As well as giving visitors an insight into the way that the Resistance operated, the Centre National Jean Moulin also celebrates the life of Bordeaux's most famous Resistance member, Jean Moulin. This museum was set up in 1967 to commemorate the role played by the French Resistance during World War Two. You should go to Bordeaux and see the museum to the French WW2 resistanceīordeaux Museums: Centre National Jean Moulin - Place Jean Moulin, Bordeaux, 33000, France, FR ![]()
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