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Maritime heritage: what role does DRAC Bretagne play in its protection?

The 2024 European Heritage Days (EHD) focus on maritime heritage. This is an opportunity to highlight the work of protection and enhancement conducted by the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs of Brittany. The last decade has seen dozens of protections for historic monuments, as well as several major restoration, rehabilitation and rescue projects for furniture or real estate in danger. In 2023, nearly 750,000 € of work and grants were committed by the DRAC Bretagne for the preservation of maritime heritage.

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The maritime heritage, The European Union is a political, economic, social and strategic link between man and the sea, as well as environmental news.

Henry Masson, author of a report in this area, specifies the notion of maritime heritage. According to him, it includes all the tangible or intangible elements related to human activities developed in the past, recent or more distant, in relation to resources and the maritime environment. 

The Brittany, by its geographical location, is concerned by the marine element whose situation can be summarized in a few figures: 

  • the Breton coast stretches over 1700 km of coastline, or 31% of the metropolitan coastline 
  • 30% of coastal municipalities are in Brittany or 288 coastal communities
  • 77 remarkable heritage sites concerning the maritime heritage out of 950 are located in Brittany
  • of the 35 museums in France in Brittany, 20 are maritime
  • of a total of 3100 Historical monuments buildings in Brittany, 113 are maritime heritage elements including series (forts, lighthouses, archaeological sites, villas, industrial heritage), 27 lighthouses (27%), 54 forts and castles
  • of a total of 198 registered and classified boats, 42 are in Brittany

The State shall bring its scientific, technical and financial support projects for the study, maintenance, repair or restoration of historic monuments protected through services such as DRAC. 

What is a historic monument?

  • One building (built or not: park, garden, cave, etc.)
  • One movable object (movable or immovable by destination)
  • He receives a legal protection because of its historical, artistic, scientific or technical interest
  • There are two levels of protection: theregistration or the ranking

Protection is decided after deliberation in committee according to criteria of rarity, exemplarity, authenticity and integrity of the property. 

It involves a shared responsibility between the owners and society in terms of its conservation and transmission to future generations. 

Since 2005, in Brittany, several protection campaigns led to the inscription and classification of the most remarkable among them: network of Vauban fortifications, lighthouses and the "Atlantic Wall", these defenses erected during the Second World War by the German army. Dedicated content will be published shortly, detailing the following topics:

Boats (race/cruise, rescue, fishing, yachting)

Votive boats

Military heritage: maritime defence

Headlights

Shelters

Recent/XX Wealthe century (industrial heritage, holiday, memorial monuments, label "Remarkable contemporary architecture")

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon

 

 

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