Brittany now has 14 "Cities and Countries of Art and History".
Created 38 years ago, the label "Cities and Countries of Art and History" has played an extremely positive role in the preservation and presentation of the heritage, in particular the awareness of schools and inhabitants of their living environment, the development of public spaces, the creation of centres of interpretation of architecture and heritage (CIAP) and the development of tourist attractiveness. This label now includes more than 200 territories that are home to about 15 million inhabitants.
The 4 Breton "Countries of art and history" are those of the Trégor, Morlaix, Quimperlé and the Rohan.
The 8 Breton "Cities of art and history" are those of Concarneau, Brest, Quimper, Dinan, Dinard, Fougères, Vitré, Rennes, Lorient and Vannes.
Since 2020, the award, for a period of 10 years, of the label «Cities and Countries of Art and History» is a decentralized procedure of the Ministry of Culture. The examination of the files of new labelling, as of renewal, is no longer done in the National Council of Cities and Countries of Art and History but in each Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC), within the Regional Heritage and Architecture Commissions (RCAP).
The first two signatures of agreements validated at the end of the presentations and debates in CRPA have just been formalized for the City of Concarneau and for the Country of Trégor:
Signed on 14 April 2023, the renewal of the "City of Art and History" label for Concarneau was both an opportunity to take stock of the progress made over the last ten years and to envisage new projects with renewed ambition.
En complément des efforts déjà consentis et à maintenir sur la ville close, l'appropriation du patrimoine matériel et immatériel par les habitants contribue à faire vivre les lieux ressources qui racontent l’histoire de la ville. La démarche sera renforcée par la création d'un centre d'interprétation du patrimoine implanté dans plusieurs quartiers .
The Ravelin, completely restored in 2022, gives access to the closed town of Concarneau ©FlyHD
Signed on 18 April 2023, the award of the "Pays d'art et d'histoire" label for the Trégor has mobilized the elected representatives of 57 municipalities and cultural actors at the foot of the Radôme de Pleumeur-Bodou.
Elected officials and partners gathered for the signing at the foot of the Radôme de Pleumeur Bodou ©Yoan Brière-La Lanterne
The three main themes that unite communities and structure the project are:
- Built Heritage and Landscapes: A Country with a Dense, Varied and Widespread Heritage in a Domesticated Landscape
- Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Country where oral and written literatures, popular and scholarly cultures interact
- Heritage and Innovation: A Land of Change and Invention
These axes will constitute the narrative from which will be set out the actions implemented within the framework of the label: exhibitions, editions, cultural actions in schools, guided tours...
The next signatures will take place on 17 May 2023 for the renewal of the Pays de Morlaix label and on 22 June 2023 for the Métropole de Rennes label.