Franck Riester, Minister of Culture, on the proposal of the National Council of Cities and Countries of Art and History, meeting on June 20, decides to award the label City and country of art and history (VPAH) to a new territory and to extend the label to two already labelled territories.
The award of the label City and country of art and history is part of the action of the Ministry of Culture in favor of the awareness of all the public of the quality of the heritage, the architecture and the living environment. Enhancing the landscape and architecture of the XXe are also among the priorities enshrined in the conventions Cities and Countries of Art and History signed by communities that are thus committed to a comprehensive approach to promoting their territory and its sustainable development.
For Franck Riester, “ The label Ville et Pays d'art et d'histoire is a remarkable tool of cultural democratization that allows citizens to access a quality cultural offer aimed at a better understanding of their living environment, even where culture sometimes struggles to develop. I welcome the fruitful partnership that it is establishing between the State and local and regional authorities, as well as the place that they give to the label by including it in their territorial project. »
The network of Cities and Countries of Art and History participates actively in all the actions of valorization of the architecture organized by the ministry.
The convention Country of art and history Valley of Abondance (6 communes) was signed in 2003 and renewed in 2014. The extension of the Country of art and history to the Community of municipalities Evian-Vallée d'Abondance opens new fields for the mediation of architecture and heritage, the territory integrating mountain landscapes, lake areas (Lake Geneva) and urban (Evian les Bains).
The extension of the Country of art and history The Haut-Allier project, which concerned 26 communes to now understand 118 is an ambitious project that will need to benefit from strengthened support from the services of the Ministry of Culture to achieve, in particular, to develop the quality of the living environment throughout the Syndicat mixte d'aménagement du Haut-Allier.
The label City of art and history is allocated to the city of Nice, a changing city and candidate for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The label will allow to accompany the change of the territory (extension of the tram network, greening of the city), to value the richness of its architecture and its heritage, and to provide support to the inhabitants in the transformation of the everyday building.
The National Council also announced the renewal of the Cities of art and history of Montauban (Occitanie), Perpignan (Occitanie), Vannes (Brittany) and Country of art and history de Provence Verte Verdon (PACA).
The network of Cities and Countries of Art and History now has 196 territories: 124 Cities of art and history and 72 Countries of art and history.
The National Association of Remarkable Sites and Cities participates in the dynamism of the network, offering training for elected officials and technicians of labeled territories City or country of art and history or equipped with a Remarkable Heritage Site (RPD).