The 39th edition of European Heritage Days it will take place on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September under the banner of “sustainable heritage”, a theme strongly resonant in the current context of awareness of the effects of climate change. This theme gathers all the public around cultural heritage and its environmental challenges. From the ruined castles to the abbey, from the mills to the stations, a myriad of events are prepared. Discover our selection of 10 exceptional places, recently renovated or created, to (re) discover this year.
1. Curtain on the Dôle theater
On November 28, 2021, the Dole theater, a national stage animated by the scenes of the Jura, reopened its doors after seven years of construction. It was in 1843 that the city inaugurated this Italian-style theater and in 1996 it was classified as a Historic Monument. The building is built on the neoclassical style designs of the engineer-architect Jean-Baptiste Martin. The hall, equipped with an inclined stage, boxes and balconies covered with red velvet, has the shape of a horseshoe.
Municipal Theater
30, rue Mont-Roland
Dole, Jura
Restoration of the Dole Theater 1 © Antoine Mercusot-Chatillon Architectes
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2. Cotterêts saved by the French
Villers-Cotterêts Castle in Aisne was built at the request of Francis I, then completed during the reign of Henry II. In the following century it was donated by Louis XIV to his brother Philippe d’Orléans, whose family carried out numerous alterations. In 1790 the castle, which became state property, housed a barracks, then, from 1804, a deposit for alms. In 2018, the State decided to create an International City of the French Language at Villers-Cotterêts Castle and entrusted this mission to the Center des Monuments Nationaux.
Villers-Cotterets Castle
1, placed Aristide Briand
Villers-Cotterets, Aisne
Future international city of the French language © Olivier Weets
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3. Chez Roger de Bussy Rabutin
Acquired by the State in 1929 and annexed to the Center des Monuments Nationaux with the label “Maisons des Illustres”, the castle of Bussy-Rabutin is one of the jewels of the Burgundian heritage. Dating, for the most part, to the 16th century and rich in a singular pictorial decoration commissioned by Roger de Bussy-Rabutin (1618-1693), exiled to his lands by order of Louis XIV, the castle has just benefited from the care it has both the internal structure and the vestments and armor, after correcting the effects of infiltrations due to the presence of water ditches. On the courtyard side, the carpentry of the three facades was detected and it was the subject of conservation care (parquet, walls and roofing) which allowed the opening to the public in June of a room hosting an exhibition of paintings by Jean -Baptiste Boyer, an event that will precede the restoration of the decorations and the reconstruction of the entire Sarcus wing.
Bussy-Rabutin Castle
Via del Castello 12
Bussy-le-Grand, Gold Coast
Bussy-Rabutin Castle © Didier Plowy – CMN
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4. In Amiens the pulpit rediscovers its truth
Work of the picard architect Pierre-Joseph Christophle and his son-in-law, the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Dupuis who, in the 18th century, participated in the embellishment of the liturgical space of the cathedral of Amiens, the spectacular pulpit for preaching (1772-1773) in painted and gilded wood hanging from a pillar of the nave was restored at the end of 2021. By correcting a state of encrustation and the effects of a 1970s restoration, he was able to rediscover all the beauty of his sculpture with subtle contrasts of gilding and shades of white in the polychromy.
Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens
Notre Dame Square 30
Amiens, Somme
Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens © Cath-ESavalle
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5. Baths of youth in Strasbourg
Since 8 November, Strasbourg residents have returned to the municipal baths. Built between 1905 and 1908 by the German architect Fritz Beblo and partly classified as Historical Monuments since 2017, they closed in 2018 for renovations, led by Eiffage Construction Alsace, in collaboration with Chatillon Architectes and TNA Architectes agencies. An architectural gem at the crossroads of neoclassicism and Art Nouveau, the building has had to adapt to today’s standards and practices and offer better accessibility. Now more ecological (water saving and reduced electricity and heat consumption) and equipped with a new wellness area, the Strasbourg spas have also rediscovered the harmony of their original polychromy, dominated by blue and creamy white. As for the legendary changing rooms located on the sides of the two swimming pools, they have been restored by the Atelier de la Boiserie (Paris).
Municipal Baths of Strasbourg
Victory Avenue 10
Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin
Strasbourg Municipal Baths, Petit Bassin © Cyrille Weiner
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6. Restored palm game oath room
The restoration of the Versailles Tennis Court, an emblematic site of the French Revolution, has just been completed. The roof, the framework, the joinery, the pictorial decoration of the room and the floor were restored under the supervision of Pierre Bortolussi, chief architect of the Historical Monuments. Interventions were carried out on the monumental canvas representing the oath of the tennis court by Luc-Olivier Merson (the artist who completes David’s work) and on the entire sculptural decoration of the room.
Room of the Jeu de Paume
1, Rue du Jeu de Paume
Versailles, Ile-de-France
7. The Sublime House of Rouen reveals its secrets
August 1976, paving works are carried out in the court yard of Rouen. During the excavation, a stone wall is exhumed by construction workers. Excavations begin and engraved inscriptions attest to the history of the place: a 12th century Jewish monument, the oldest known Jewish monument in France. Following this discovery, archaeologists, historians and experts from all over the world are mobilizing to try to lift the veil on this place. Forty-six years after its discovery, it is still unclear whether the Sublime House (so called because of a Hebrew graffiti found on a wall of the monument that repeats a verse from the Book of Kings (I, 9, 8): ” That this house is sublime ”) Was a rabbinical school, a synagogue or a private residence. An important conservation campaign launched in 2012 by the Ministry of Justice and the Association la Maison sublime de Rouen saved the degraded site from humidity. Closed since 2001, this jewel of medieval Judaism has finally reopened to visitors, in small groups.
The sublime house
Via Ebraica 36
Rouen, Seine-Maritime
Sublime house, Rouen © A. Aubry / Métropole Rouen Normandie
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8. The medieval treasures of Ravel Castle
In a thousand years, Ravel has changed hands very little. It remained in the Pierre Flote family until it was bought by the Riberrolles family in 1806. Then Joseph Achkar and Michel Charrière bought the castle in 2014. In 2016, a fire revealed the different architectural layers of the castle and made it possible to find the tunnel that testifies to the real presences in these places. The Hall of the States General of Auvergne is open to visitors like much of the castle.
Ravel Castle
Ravel, Puy-de-Dome
Ravel Castle © Manolo Mylonas
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9. A museum for Paladru
Its silhouette evokes that of a medieval canoe. Work of the Basalt & A-Team agency, the archaeological museum of Lake Paladru opened its doors on 7 June after two years of construction. Behind its oxidized metal façade, the new institution (labeled the Museum of France) houses an exceptional collection of remains found under the waters of the lake, in a surprising state of conservation.
Archaeological Museum of Lake Paladru
Via dei Musei 51
The villages of Lake Paladru, Isère
Archaeological Museum of Lake Paladru © Samuel Moraud / Pays Voironnais
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10. Cahors Museum
The building that now houses the city museum is the result of a succession of construction, renovation and modification campaigns. In the 19th century, the bishops extended and fitted out the building. After the war, work began until 1962-63. The museum institution was created in 1833 to collect the collection. First departmental, the museum of Cahors Henri Martin then became municipal in 1841 and today it houses around 10,000 objects and documents.
Henri Martin Museum
Via Emile Zola 792
Cahors, Lot
Henri Martin Museum of Cahors © Henri Martin Museum, Cahors 2022
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