Label "Cities and Countries of Art and History" (VPAH)
In France, 202 territories are labeled "Cities and Countries of art and history". The label is awarded by the Minister of Culture on the basis of the opinion of the National Council of "Cities and Countries of Art and History" (VPAH). It is the subject of a ten-year agreement between the State and the community. The Grand Est has 15 labelled territories.
According to the State/Community Convention, local authorities or territories develop a cultural territorial project.
11 cities and 4 countries are certified in the Grand Est region (consult the list).
Community Engagement
The communities arengagent to:
- present the heritage in all its components;
- Promote architectural quality; ;
- raise awareness the inhabitants to their environment and to the architectural quality, urban and landscape ;
- initiate young people in architecture and urban planning;
- ensure the communication and promotion heritage for a diverse audience;
- implement a programme; thanks to a certified qualified personnel (an architecture and heritage facilitator and tour guides);
- develop training actions for municipal staff, tourist and social mediators, associations.
What imfold of:
- Have an architecture and heritage animation service; led by an architecture and heritage facilitator;
- provide documentation presenting the heritage, as well as the programme of actions (visits, exhibitions, conferences...);
- organise discovery visits, led by tour guides, which are declined around diverse themes such as contemporary architecture, urban planning, industrial heritage, unusual places, built or not built heritage, gardens and landscapes... Regular training of tour guides is essential;
- Set up an educational service for young people;, in order to organize educational discovery activities for school children, in partnership with teachers, but also during leisure time or holidays;
- Create an architecture and heritage interpretation centre; (CIAP) hosting a permanent exhibition on the territory and the architectures that structure it (stages of its urbanization, local materials...).
State support and the role of the DRAC
Application and renewal of agreements
The application or renewal file presents the territory’s cultural project on the basis of a diagnosis or evaluation.
This document is the basis for the drafting of the convention.
All of this work is the subject of numerous meetings with the DRAC, which brings to the community its scientific and cultural expertise.
In its support of the communities project, in particular in the development of VPAH applications and during the renewal of the agreements, the DRAC wishes to emphasize:
- the quality of the heritage but especially of their inclusion in the territorial project at the scale of a basin of life (intercommunality, country...);
- integration and transversality of heritage, architectural and urban policies;
- the mediation of heritage and architecture with all audiences, including residents (school, families, public prevented or distant from culture...), in contrast to a mainly tourist vision (which is complementary and closely related). Cities and Countries of Art and History are privileged actors for the development of artistic and cultural education;
- the need for regular evaluation and shared monitoring between the state and communities.
The DRAC participates in the recruitment jury of the animator of architecture and heritage responsible for implementing the convention.
It encourages regular training of tour guides.
The DRAC accompanies the community in the implementation of its projects by providing scientific and technical support. It participates in the scientific committees set up to create the Interpretation Centres for Architecture and Heritage.
Financial aid from the DRAC Grand Est
The DRAC provides financial support for the implementation of projects under the VPAH convention, particularly in terms of educational actions and awareness-raising tools. She contributed to the cost of the position of Architecture and Heritage Facilitator for two years, as well as to the financing of the scenography of the Centre d'interprétation de l'architecture et du patrimoine.
The operating grant of the DRAC Grand Est is intended to support projects carried out by communities labeled "City or Country of art and history".
The appropriations allocated may finance:
Communication actions: presentation documents of the territory, publications, short films, digital projects, audioguides, digital tools, mobile application, signage/ exhibitions...
Tools for educational workshops: briefcases, models, equipment...
National operations: JEP, Rendez-vous aux jardins, Journées nationales de l’architecture, …
Training: tour guides, teachers…
Documentation: books, magazines.
VPAH grant application: to be submitted on the "Simplified procedures" platform for the 1er December of the year N-1
The steps are :
- create an account on demarches-simplifies.frif you do not have one;
- start a new file;
- identify your establishment (siret number);
- form: the cultural field is "Architecture" and the subject of the "Global operation" grant;
- presentation of the project (2.1): "Mediation actions of the City or Country" and mention the various actions implemented.
- Jadd to "Additional documents to the project" the application form below and the adapted sheets your previously completed grant application (you can attach several sheets to the application form depending on your project):
- the formular VPAH Operating Grant Application (Greater East)
- the fiches projects
- Form 1: "Editions chartées" grant application
- Form 2: Grant application "Mobile application, website..."
- Sheet 3: "Signalétique" grant application
- Fact sheet 4: Grant application "Educational workshop tools"
- Form 5: "National Operations" grant application
- Form 6: "Training" grant application
- Form 7: "Documentation" grant application
Mediation and animation: the tour guides
In terms of mediation and animation, the VPAH have recourse to guides holding the professional card of "tour guide". This card replaces since 2012 the previous four regimes (regional and national guide-lecturer, regional and national guide-interpreter).
It is issued as part of a professional license, provided by higher education institutions.
Beyond this initial training, the DRAC encourages the continuous training of guides by the labeled communities.