So-Called Cursed Towns and the Legends Behind Them

The absolute horrors of wartime cruelty are permanently preserved in the skeletal ruins of a quiet French village. On a single afternoon in June 1944, a ruthless detachment of SS troops systematically massacred 642 local residents, trapping women and children inside the town church before setting it ablaze. By a historic presidential decree, the charred buildings, melted cars, and sewing machines were left completely untouched as an unshakeable, silent monument to the victims.