I often find myself wondering who lived behind a door, or what might have happened behind it, whether it’s the ornate portal of a palace or the humbler oak door of a farmhouse. Mostly, we’ll never know, so we can only speculate, but sometimes you unearth a story. This is the first in a new occasional series, unravelling some of the stories beyond the door.
During our recent walk in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, we passed this imposing door, a little shabby and dusty now. At one time, this was the entrance to l’Hôtel Moderne. Today, the hotel has long ceased trading and two banks flank the door. As a hotel, the building played a part in the town’s history.
Leafy boulevard
La Promenade du Guiraudet is a broad, leafy avenue in the centre of Villefranche, leading to the bridge over the Aveyron. At one time, a stream, le ruisseau Notre-Dame, flowed along what is now la Promenade Guiraudet, serving two water mills before joining the river.
From the 18th century, the authorities landscaped the promenade and planted a double row of trees. Finally, in 1883, they completely covered over the stream, which continues to run beneath the promenade.
Judging by the architecture, l’Hôtel Moderne must date from the mid/late 19th century, but I can’t find an exact date. The Hôtel de Ville (town hall) is on the opposite side of the promenade. Built in 1861, the town hall building was originally le Palais de Justice (courthouse). It became the mairie in 1959.
L’Hôtel Moderne therefore occupied a prestigious spot in the town, only a short distance from the railway station on the other side of the bridge. The front rooms had a view over the then Palais de Justice and the river beyond. The back of the hotel overlooked the alleys and rooftops of Villefranche.
For copyright reasons, I am unable to reproduce old photos of l’Hôtel Moderne, but you can access one on this link. L’Hôtel Moderne is the building with an awning and plants in pots outside. I presume the hotel had a café or bistro under the awning.
Today, in this shot taken from the riverbank, you can make out the Hôtel Moderne’s building behind the tall tree and to the right of the bushy green tree.
World War II mutiny
The hotel’s position and facilities made it an obvious choice for requisitioning when an SS battalion occupied the town for training manoeuvres in August 1943. Until then, Villefranche had not been occupied. The officers set up their quarters in the hotel, while the troops were billeted in other buildings around the town.
The division included Croatian and Bosniak conscripts from the Independent Republic of Croatia, a short-lived puppet state of the Axis powers, which mostly comprised Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Badly treated and held in contempt by the SS officers, they mutinied on 17th September 1943 and briefly took control of the town.
The mutineers stormed the hotel, captured five officers and executed them. The battalion’s doctor escaped and raised the alarm with other detachments in the region. Meanwhile, fierce pitched battles took place in the surrounding streets.
When reinforcements arrived, they quickly put down the revolt, killing around 30 mutineers on the spot. They captured, tortured and executed a further hundred at a spot to the North of the town. Another few hundred soldiers were deported to concentration camps for complicity in the mutiny.
A number of townsfolk had helped or hidden mutineers. The intervention of the maire, Louis Fontanges, who spoke German, largely avoided serious reprisals against the town.
The mutiny has become known as the revolt of the ‘Croats’, although it actually involved different ethnic groups from the Balkans.
Several years ago, I wrote a longer post about the mutiny, so more detail is there if you haven’t read it before. You’ll notice from the comments that it caused some controversy at the time.
It is not clear if the hotel resumed business after the war or for how long it remained a hotel. Apart from a plaque on the wall, there is little to show that l’Hôtel Moderne played a part in one of the most momentous events in Villefranche’s history.
If anyone knows more of the hotel’s history, please comment below. For example, the initials AC (or CA) appear above the door. To whom did they belong?
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That’s a fascinating doorway, with much history! Of course, I had to follow the link to your original article and read through it, warts (or comments) and all! 🙂
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Yes, that was an unfortunate exchange, but it would have been disingenuous not to mention it in this post. And I don’t believe in censorship, except for racist or other inappropriate comments. I’m relieved that this sort of thing seldom happens here.
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It’s a very difficult one – I almost felt sorry for the person who got so upset about the post. I think that a lot can get lost when trying to write about something that is hitting an emotion or an old wound, and especially so when one is not writing in ones native language. A face-to-face conversation might have yielded a much more nuanced and reasonable exchange. I would hope so, in any case 🙂
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I agree, and I’m sure that it wouldn’t have happened in that way face to face. What I objected to in particular was rudeness to another reader, which I can’t have. I realise, though, that passions still run high in relation to such events. Even trying to write about them dispassionately sometimes opens old wounds.
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Hi Vanessa .
I feel the same way about doors, they have stories to tell. What a shockingly violent story this one is though. The human race makes me despair at times, and on so many fronts.
MJ
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It is a violent story, like so many from that period. At least the mayor was able to avoid large-scale reprisals afterwards.
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Bonjour Vanessa,very pleased you re-visited this largely forgotten tragedy (all too many unfortunately) of your lovely part of France in WW2.
Good luck with your further investigations regarding the history of the hotel.One can only imagine how desperate this men who were recruited into the SS,many miles from home,stationed in a foreign land,must have been, when their chance of success appears extremely remote and must have been aware of the severe implications of their actions.
I am coming to stay in Castleneau Montratier from 15th of June for a couple of weeks and would love to meet you but fully understand if you have other commitments?
I am hoping I will discover some more interesting stories from this period and always look forward to reading your very informative articles
best wishes
Stuart
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Hello Stuart, I thought this would interest you! I expect you remember the earlier post, and the polemic it generated. I remember you were very supportive. Thank you.
I did wonder if it was wise to revisit the subject, as I said to another commentator, but I feel we should learn about such events, painful as they are. As you say, the mutineers’ chances of success were minimal, which shows how desperate they were.
It would be lovely to meet up in June. In principle, we are around all the time during that period, so I’m sure we can find an opportunity. I have your email address, so I will send you my telephone numbers. Keep me posted about your plans.
All good wishes, Vanessa.
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Hello Vanessa and thank you for a glimpse into 1943 during WW2 in a particular Aveyron village.
Thank you also for the link, Vanessa on your longer article on the catastrophe that eventuated for those young Croatians who served and mutinied under the German SS.
As a baby boomer I had a father served behind Japanese lines in Top Secret operations in the interior of Dutch Borneo (now Indonesia), a mother who served in the WAAAF, a grandfather and his brother, who was killed, who both served in Northern France and Belgium during WW1. Though my life began in a kind of peaceful Australian paradise, it was the annual Anzac Day which is Australia’s commemoration of war, when from early childhood I saw grown men both young and old marching the two main streets of our country town all with utter sorrow, horror and grief written into their faces. Then television came and grainy black and white images from WW2 in France, Italy, Greece England on land and sea came including via a popularised tv series Combat, which we watched. As the daughter and granddaughter of war veterans and someone who has a lifelong interest in French history and culture I thank you for your writing. We can only learn from reading and finding out more about such events. Unravelling such horrific scenes is a form of truth telling. There is nothing to be gained by embellishment in history writing and the very best of military writing is that which adheres to pared back language without any superlatives.
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Thank you for commenting, Christine, and for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us. I did wonder if it was wise to refer to this incident again, but I figured that it’s important to write about such events as dispassionately as possible. Humankind is notoriously bad at learning from history, but it’s still worth trying. I know there are people who find it painful to remember such events, and I respect that. Equally, it’s important for younger generations to learn about history. Striking a balance is the challenge.
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Fabulous door
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A little shabby now, but I daresay it was better looked after in its heyday.
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Quite possibly
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