National Council of «Cities and Countries of Art and History»: award of the label to three new territories

Franck Riester, Minister of Culture, on the proposal of the National Council of Cities and Countries of Art and History, decides to award the label “Cities and Countries of Art and History” to three new territories and to extend the label of two territories already labelled.

The award of the label Cities and Countries of Art and History is part of the action of the Ministry of Culture for the cultural democratization and the awareness of the citizen to its living environment. The valorization of the landscape, the architecture of the XX^e The Cities and Countries of Art and History Conventions signed by the communities, which thus commit themselves to a global approach to the cultural promotion of their territory as well as to sustainable development.

The Country of Art and History label is awarded to the «Country of the Rohan», a territory sitting on a historic perimeter corresponding to the ancient land of power of the Rohan family for 700 years of history. The National Council welcomes the long process of federation between the municipalities around the label project, in which it sees the guarantee of a sustainable project, just as it recognizes the richness of the cultural project, built from a diversity of heritage and taking into account contemporary art. Attention to the XX architecture^e This century will strengthen the coherence of this forward-looking project.

Béziers' candidacy for the Ville d'art et d'histoire label is the result of a long process of showcasing its heritage – including its many private mansions – and its museums and public spaces, enhanced by contemporary art installations. The National Council welcomes the relevance of this requalification of heritage and public space, as well as the desire to integrate the city into contemporary life through artistic and architectural creation. With the award of the label City of art and history, He sees certain assets for the renaissance of the city.

City of Reconstruction, with its important industrial heritage, Saint-Nazaire can today, thanks to the City of Art and History label, express more strongly the pleasure and the rediscovered pride of these inhabitants to be Nazairians. She pays particular attention to the link between heritage and creation, developing art in the public space. The National Council welcomes the ambition and quality of the city’s cultural policy, formalized by several agreements with the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC). It also recognizes elements of national interest in the city’s heritage.

A first City of Art and History convention was signed by the city of Auxerre in 1995. The extension of the territory labelled with the Communauté d'agglomération (CA) de l'Auxerrois – now Pays d'art et d'histoire – will make it possible to promote the label in a territory of 29 municipalities. The National Council underlines the decisive role that the CA will play in supporting the municipalities, so that knowledge and policies for the preservation of heritage and the landscape can be developed. The dimension of artistic creation also deserves to be present in the project.

By proposing to extend the City of Art and History of Langres, certified in 1985, and renewed in 2016, to the Pole of Rural Territorial Balance (PETR) of the Pays de Langres, the elected representatives responded to the recommendations that had been formulated by the National Council in 2016. The label Pays d'art et d'histoire will now be spread over a territory composed of three communities of communes (CC), or 168 communes. The National Council welcomes the ambition of this extension in terms of its scope, and stresses the importance of establishing a link between the PETR and the 3 CCs in the implementation of management and planning tools guaranteeing the quality of the territory.

The National Council, meeting on December 4, 2019, also announced the renewal of the conventions of the Cities of Art and History of Châlons-sur-Saône (Burgundy Franche-Comté) and Dieppe (Normandy).

“With its almost 35 years of existence, the network of “Cities and Countries of Art and History” has proved its dynamism, its ability to renew itself and to extend the field of cultural policies it embraces, making a growing part of the landscape, recent architecture and contemporary art, especially its inscription in the public space. With these recent labellisations, we pass the milestone of 200 labeled territories. I see it as a reflection of the growing attention of communities to make citizens informed actors in their living environment and to facilitate their access to culture in its greatest diversity. I welcome the involvement of the Regional Directorates for Cultural Affairs (DRAC) who, in accompanying the candidate territories, have succeeded in making the label «Cities and Countries of Art and History» a tool for the cultural development of the territory and thus allow the spread of culture throughout the national territory.” , Franck Riester, Minister of Culture

The network of Cities and Countries of Art and History now includes 202 territories: 123 Cities of Art and History and 79 Countries of Art and History.