More than 12 million visitors were able to discover or rediscover the diversity of national heritage this year. At the invitation of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, they travelled a century of protection to celebrate the centenary of the 1913 Historic Monuments Act.
For its 30th edition, the European Heritage Days, which took place on 14 and 15 September, paid tribute to the history and vitality of heritage action over the past hundred years. They invited the public to look differently at the monumental and movable riches that surround it.
Whether it is protected (classified or inscribed under the title of historical monuments), labeled (Heritage of the twentieth century, Houses of Illustres, Remarkable Garden), inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage, whether it belongs to domestic architecture, religious, industrial, military, judicial, hospitable, each monument or open site allowed visitors to understand the value of working for the preservation and enhancement of the heritage.
Among the 16,955 sites opened this year (16,000 in 2012), the public was able to measure the importance of French industrial heritage. They were more than 2,620 to discover the premises of the former Tase textile factory in Vaulx-en-Velin in the Rhône, nearly 2,620 to admire the architecture of the royal manufacture of Bains-les-Bains in the Vosges, and more than 15,000 to visit the former Menier chocolate factory in Noisiel in Seine-et-Marne…
The public was also able to discover the buildings awarded the Heritage of the 20th century label. The Berliet villa in Lyon, built between 1911 and 1912 by Lyon architect Paul Bruyas, was visited by nearly 2,300 people. Villa Arson in Nice, built in the early 1970s by Michel Marot, attracted more than 1,350 visitors.
These Days were also an opportunity to highlight the variety of hospital architecture (hospital center G. Marchant, Toulouse: 800 visitors; hospital center, Orléans: 250 visitors), and that of maritime and river heritage (Hermione shipyard, Rochefort, Charente-Maritime): 4,857 visitors.
As every year, the opening of places of power was a great success.
In Paris, 20,000 visitors went to the Palais de l'Élysée, 26,000 to the Senate/ Palais du Luxembourg, 15,500 to the National Assembly/ Palais Bourbon and 6,200 to the Hôtel de Matignon. In the regions, many responded to the invitation to enter the government salons (Poitiers City Hall: 2,500 visitors; Marseille City Hall: 15,000 visitors; Regional Department of Cultural Affairs of Brittany in Rennes: 650 visitors.
The Palais-Royal (Council of State, Constitutional Council and Ministry of Culture and Communication) received more than 8,000 people.
The Salon des Maréchaux of the Ministry of Culture and Communication hosted an exhibition: «Du relevé à la 3D: un siècle de représentation du patrimoine» which presented the original of the law of 31 December 1913 on historical monuments.
In the Jérôme salon of the Ministry, the Bibliothèque nationale de France exhibited two original manuscripts: Captain Dreyfus’s Souvenirs and Du côté de chez Swann, the first volume of Marcel Proust’s La Recherche, the first edition of which dates from 1913.
The European Heritage Days are organized by the Ministry of Culture and Communication. Placed under the patronage of the Council of Europe and the European Commission, they receive the support of public and private owners of historic monuments and benefit from the involvement of the National Monuments Centre, the network of Cities and Countries of Art and History, the Heritage Foundation and associations for the preservation of the heritage present since the very first edition: the Old French Houses and the Historic House.
Once again this year, they benefit from the loyal support of the Michelin Group, the French Building Federation, the RATP and the Mairie de Paris; and a wide media coverage thanks to the support of the daily Metronews, the magazine Art&décoration, of France Télévisions and Radio France.
The 31st European Heritage Days will be held on 20 and 21 September 2014.
Attendance figures by region
Alsace
All sites of the city, Haguenau (Bas-Rhin): 6,000 visitors
Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg, Orschwiller (Bas-Rhin): 6,210 visitors
Klinglin Hotel (Prefect’s Hotel), Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin): 1,450 visitors
Strasbourg Museums, Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin): 15,000 visitors
Palais du Rhin, Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin): 2,510 visitors
Prefecture of Haut-Rhin, Colmar (Haut-Rhin): 800 visitors
Carreau Rodolphe, Pulversheim-Ungersheim (Haut-Rhin): 1,240 visitors
Aquitaine:
Castelnaud Castle, Castelnaud-la-Chapelle (Dordogne): 1630 visitors
Basilica of Saint Michel, Bordeaux (Gironde): 4,250 visitors
Ecole nationale de la magistrature, Bordeaux (Gironde): 1,700 visitors on Saturdays
Grand Théâtre, Bordeaux (Gironde): 9,888 visitors
Hôtel des Fermes du Roy (Customs Museum), Bordeaux (Gironde): 2,940 visitors
Museum of Decorative Arts, Bordeaux (Gironde): 1,620 visitors
Paulin (exceptional opening), Bordeaux (Gironde): 1,350 visitors
Château Henri IV, Nérac (Lot-et-Garonne): 1200 visitors
Auvergne:
Centre national du costume de scène (CNCS), Moulins (Allier): 3,199 visitors
Anne de Beaujeu Museum and Mantin House, Moulins (Allier): 2000 visitors
Château, Chavaniac-Lafayette (Haute-Loire): 1,450 visitors
Fortress, Polignac (Haute-Loire): 955 visitors
Opera-theatre, Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme): 960 visitors
Château, Parentignat (Puy-de-Dôme): 850 visitors
Royal Estate, Randan (Puy-de-Dôme): 2,500 visitors
Burgundy:
Museum of Fine Arts in Dijon (Côte d'Or): 12,900 visitors
General Hospital, Dijon (Côte-d'Or): 1500 visitors
Saint-Philibert Church, Fort de la Meute-Giron, Hotel de Vogüe, Palais des Ducs, Dijon (Côte-d'Or): 41,500 visitors in total
Saint-Cyr and Sainte-Julitte Cathedral, Nevers (Nièvre): 1,650 visitors
Castle, Ancy-le-Franc (Yonne): 800 visitors
Brittany:
La Roche-Jagu, Ploezal (Côtes d'Armor): 1,170 visitors
Abri Sadi Carnot, Brest, Finistère: 1000 visitors
National Marine Museum, Brest (Finistère): 6,500 visitors
Barnenez Cairn, Plouezoc'h (Finistère): 636 visitors
Kerjean Castle, Saint-Vougay (Finistère): 1800 visitors
Combourg Castle, Combourg (Ille-et-Vilaine): 1200 visitors
City Hall, Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine): 1,320 visitors
Parliament of Brittany, Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine): 5,630 visitors
Château, Vitré (Ille-et-Vilaine): 3000 visitors
National Marine Museum, Port Louis (Morbihan): 5000 visitors
Central:
Jacques Coeur Palace, Bourges (Cher): 2,850 visitors
Cathedral Crypt, Chartres (Eure-et-Loir): 802 visitors
The spirit of perfume, Chartres (Eure-et-Loir): 120 visitors
Azay Castle, Azay-le-Rideau (Indre-et-Loire): 5,180 visitors
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (exceptional opening), Tours (Indre-et-Loire): 970 visitors
Villandry castle and gardens, Villandry (Indre-et-Loire): 3,250 visitors
National domain of Chambord, Chambord (Loir-et-Cher): 7,000 visitors
Champagne-Ardenne:
Cité du vitrail, Troyes (Aube): 2000 visitors
Prefecture of Region, Châlons-en-Champagne (Marne): 1500 visitors
Cathedral and its towers, Reims (Marne): 8,000 visitors
Halles du Boulingrin, Reims (Marne): 1300 visitors
La Comédie de Reims, Reims (Marne): 100 visitors
Palais du Tau, Reims (Marne): 4,300 visitors
The towers of the cathedral, Reims (Marne): 2,838 visitors
Corsica:
Bonaparte House, Ajaccio, South Corsica: 2,800 visitors
Palais Fesch, Museum of Fine Arts, and the Salon Napoléon, Ajaccio (South Corsica): 4,800 visitors
Lantivy Palace (Corsica Prefecture), Ajaccio (South Corsica): 250 visitors
Franche-Comté:
Royal Saline, Arc-et-Senans (Doubs): 1600 visitors
Funicular, Besançon (Doubs): 450 visitors
Cordiron Castle, Burgille (Doubs): 400 visitors
Musée des maisons comtoises, Nancray (Doubs): 1,100 visitors
Cornod Castle, Cornod, Jura: 6,000 visitors
Fort des basses perches , Danjoutin (Territory of Belfort): 220 visitors
Guadeloupe (Saturday attendance):
Habitation Bouvier (exceptional opening), Baillif: 280 visitors
Fort Fleur d'Epée, Le Gosier: 118 visitors
Schoelcher Museum, Point-à-Pitre: 40 visitors
Guyana (Saturday attendance):
Prefectural Hotel (exceptional opening), Cayenne: 75 visitors
Alexandre-Franconie Departmental Museum, Cayenne: 280 visitors
Île-de-France:
Pavillon des Indes, Courbevoie (Hauts-de-Seine): 1,100 visitors
Arc de triomphe, Paris: 19,000 visitors
National Archives, Paris: 10,500 visitors
Bank of France, Paris: 11,000 visitors
Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, Paris: 2,400 visitors
RATP events, Paris: 20,000 visitors
RATP, M Survey (Underground Lane Tracking Game), Paris: 10,000 visitors
Hôtel de la Marine, Paris: 5,600 visitors
Hôtel de Ville, Paris: 12,000 visitors
Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (Bons-Enfants), Paris: 8,000 visitors
Ministry of Justice (Hôtel Bourvallais), Paris: 3,000 visitors
Ministry of Agriculture, Paris: 7,000 visitors
Ministère de l’Education nationale (Hôtel de Rochechouart), Paris: 5,200 visitors
Ministère de l’Intérieur (Hôtel Beauvau), Paris: 7,100 visitors
Ministère de l’Outre-mer (Hôtel de Montmorin), Paris: 7,00 visitors
Ministère du développement durable (Hôtel de Roquelaure), Paris: 1,700 visitors
Paris Observatory, Paris: 8,650 visitors
Pantheon, Paris: 18,000 visitors
Sainte-Chapelle et Conciergerie, Paris: 18,800 visitors
CNES headquarters (exceptional opening), Paris: 2,500 visitors
Tower of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris (Paris): 3,200 visitors
Basilica, Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis): 2,650 visitors
INA, Bry-sur-Marne (Val-de-Marne): 1,100 visitors
Mac/Val, Vitry-sur-Seine (Val-de-Marne): 1,100 visitors
The Meeting:
Maison Carrère, Saint-Denis (Réunion): 1,750 visitors
Maison Deramond-Barre (exceptional opening), Saint-Denis (Reunion): 270 visitors
Bel-Air Lighthouse (exceptional opening), Sainte-Suzanne (Réunion): 1500 visitors
Villèle Museum, Saint-Gilles-les-Hauts (Reunion): 1000 visitors
Languedoc-Roussillon:
Château et remparts, Carcassonne (Aude): 11,660 visitors
Pont-du-Gard site, Vers-Pont-du-Gard, Gard: 22,000 visitors
Chartreuse, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, Gard: 1900 visitors
Lattara Archaeological Site, Lattes, Herault: 1200 visitors
Centre national de la danse, Montpellier, (Héraullt): 800 visitors
Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Montpellier (Hérault): 600 visitors
Hérault Prefecture (exceptional opening), Montpellier (Hérault): 1200 visitors
Castillet, Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales): 2,010 visitors
Salses Fortress, Salses-le-Château (Pyrénées-Orientales): 2,640 visitors
Limousin:
Saint-Etienne Abbey, Aubazine (Corrèze): 300 visitors
Losmonerie Castle, Aixe-sur-Vienne (Haute-Vienne): 210 visitors
Limoges-Mauvendière Emergency Centre, Limoges, Haute-Vienne: 1,570 visitors
Musée de la Résistance, Limoges (Haute-Vienne): 700 visitors
Lorraine:
Saint-Rémy Church, Baccarat (Meurthe-et-Moselle): 500 visitors
Château, Lunéville (Meurthe-et-Moselle): 4,500 visitors
Maison Bergeret, Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle): 1,600 visitors
Nancy School Museum, Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle): 1300 visitors
Villa Majorelle, Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle): 2,200 visitors
Metz station, Metz (Moselle): 2,600 visitors
Governor’s Palace, Metz, Moselle: 4,100 visitors
Royal Manufacture, Bains-les-Bains (Vosges): 1200 visitors
Martinique (Saturday attendance):
Fort Saint-Louis, Fort-de-France (Martinique): 767 visitors
Regional Museum of History and Ethnography, Fort-de-France (Martinique): 464 visitors
Habitation Clément, Le François (Martinique): 380 visitors
Habitation Saint-Etienne, Le Gros-Morne (Martinique): 364 visitors
Habitation Pécoul, Basse-Pointe (Martinique): 450 visitors
Midi-Pyrénées:
Bournazel Castle, Bournazel (Aveyron): 1200 visitors
Templar site, La Couvertoirade (Aveyron): 3,300 visitors
Jacobins Museum, Auch, Gers: 1000 visitors
Musée des Augustins, Toulouse (Haute-Garonne): 5,500 visitors
Hôtel des Chevaliers Saint-Jean-de-jerusalem, Toulouse, (Haute-Garonne): 3,400 visitors
Escaladieu Abbey, Bonnemazon (Hautes-Pyrénées): 890 visitors
Maison de l'eau, Cahors (Lot): 780 visitors
Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, Albi (Tarn): 6,600 visitors
Ingres Museum, Montauban (Tarn and Garonne): 2000 visitors
Nord-Pas-de-Calais:
City Hall, Armentières (North): 1,300 visitors
Departmental Museum of Flanders, Cassel (North): 1,600 visitors
Vermaelde Farm, Coudekerque-Branche (North): 2,800 visitors
Historic Mining Centre, Lewarde (North): 950 visitors
Faubourd d'Amiens Memorial (first participation), Arras (Pas-de-Calais): 1,900 visitors
Château Comtal, Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais): 1,900 visitors
Chartreuse de Neuville, Neuville-sous-Montreuil (Pas-de-Calais): 1600 visitors
Nativity scene, Wimereux (Pas-de-Calais): 460 visitors
Villa Cavrois, Croix (North): 5,200 visitors
Lower Normandy:
Abbaye aux Dames, Caen (Calvados): 850 visitors
Château de Crèvecœur, Crèvecœur-en-Auge (Calvados): 1200 visitors
Maritime Museum, Régneville-sur-Mer (Manche): 470 visitors
Tatihou Island, Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue (Manche): 1,040 visitors
Providence (exceptional opening), Alençon (Orne): 1200 visitors
Le Haras du Pin, Le-Pin-au-Haras (Orne): 690 visitors
Upper Normandy:
Château de Gaillon, Gaillon (Eure): 2000 visitors
Musée des impressionismes, Giverny (Eure): 1800 visitors
Bizy Castle, Vernon (Eure): 500 visitors
Jumièges Abbey, Jumièges (Seine-Maritime): 2,500 visitors
Malraux Museum, Le Havre (Seine-Maritime): 2,700 visitors
Tour Jeanne d’Arc, Rouen (Seine-Maritime): 1300 visitors
Pays de la Loire:
Château des Ducs de Bretagne, Nantes (Loire-Atlantique): 6,300 visitors
Memorial of the Abolition of Slavery, Nantes (Loire-Atlantique): 1,200 visitors
Musée des Beaux-Arts (logis Barrault), Angers, Maine-et-Loire: 12,000 visitors
Epau Abbey, Yvré-Lévêque (Sarthe): 1,600 visitors
Mayenne Castle, Mayenne (Mayenne): 1600 visitors
Abbey of Saint-Jean d'Orbestier, Château-d'Olonne (Vendée): 700 visitors
Former Manufacture of Matches, Trélazé (Maine-et-Loire): 2000 visitors
Picardie:
Familistere, Guise (Aisne): 1400 visitors
Dragon Cave, Oulches La Vallée (Aisne): 1,100 visitors
City Hall, Saint-Quentin (Aisne): 850 visitors
Saint-Pierre Cathedral, Beauvais, Oise: 7,600 visitors
Musée départemental de l’Oise, Beauvais, Oise: 1,760 visitors
Palais de Compiègne (exceptional opening), Compiègne (Oise): 5,000 visitors
Jules Verne House, Amiens (Somme): 1,700 visitors
Picardie Museum, Amiens (Somme): 2,234 visitors
Valloires Gardens, Argoules (Somme): 500 visitors
Somme Bay Railway, Cayeux-sur-Mer (Somme): 400 visitors
History of the Great War, Péronne (Somme): 2000 visitors
Castle and park (exceptional opening), Regnière-Ecluse (Somme): 1,300 visitors
Locomotive depot, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme (Somme): 1600 visitors
Poitou-Charentes:
Château, Villebois-Lavalette (Charente): 1,100 visitors
Tours de la Rochelle, La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime): 8,000 visitors
Hermione shipyard, Rochefort (Charente-Maritime): 4,857 visitors
Gendarmerie School Command House (exceptional opening), Rochefort (Charente-Maritime): 800 visitors
Ernest Cognacq Museum, Saint-Martin de Ré (Charente-Maritime): 1,400 visitors (950 in 2012)
Château du Coudray-Salbart, Échiré (Deux-Sèvres): 1000 visitors
Château de Saint-Mesmin, Saint-André-sur-Sèvre (Deux-Sèvres): 1600 visitors
All sites in the fresco valley, between Saint-Savin and Saulgé (Deux-Sèvres):
1,300 visitors
Palais des Comtes, Poitiers, Vienna: 1,450 visitors
Abbey, Saint-Savin (Vienna): 850 visitors
Provence-alp es-Côte d'Azur
Salagon, museum and gardens, Mane (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence): 1,525 visitors
Valrose park and castle, Nice (Alpes-Maritimes): 1,450 visitors
City Hall, Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône): 15,000 visitors
MUCEM (first participation), Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône): 34,000 visitors
Palais de la Bourse, Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône): 4,500 visitors
Boscodon Abbey, Crots (Hautes-Alpes): 500 visitors
Marine Museum, Toulon (Var): 7,000 visitors
Rhône-Alpes:
Royal Monastery of Brou, Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain): 3,500 visitors
Cité du Design (exceptional opening), Saint-Etienne (Loire): 1,300 visitors
City Hall, Lyon, Rhône: 14,000 visitors
Le Grenier d'Abondance (DRAC Rhône-Alpes) (exceptional opening), Lyon (Rhône): 1500 visitors
Gadagne Museum, Lyon (Rhône): 5,200 visitors
Hotel of the Rhône-Alpes region, Lyon (Rhône): 1,143 visitors
École nationale supérieure de la police, Saint-Cyr-au-Mont-d'Or (Rhône): 170 visitors
Château des Ducs, Chambéry, Savoie: 5,900 visitors
Château Museum, Annecy, (Haute-Savoie): 4,350 visitors
Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon (Saturday attendance):
Musée de l'Arche, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon: 90 visitors