Using the local area's cultural heritage, châteaux
and fortresses to create a 'living heritage' for residents and
visitors to the Département of the Bas-Rhin
The ruins of some 80 mountain fortresses are amongst the most
iconic symbols of the region of Alsace. They create a link between
the past and the future that remains extremely important to our
local communities. The Conseil Départemental du Bas-Rhin (the
Bas-Rhin Departmental Council) has developed an innovative approach
to heritage which aims to give local inhabitants the resources and
tools they need in order to be able to identify with and
adopt their local heritage as their own. In practical terms,
this will lead to a more civic-minded approach to heritage that all
sections of the local population can actively adopt. The key
challenges are to raise awareness amongst our fellow citizens,
encouraging the development of an active interest and involvement
in local heritage. This involves organizing and training them so
that they can become effective and dependable actors who have all
the knowledge and skills they need for 'hands-on' work with local
heritage sites that have been awarded protection because they are
of particular interest or because they are vulnerable or
threatened.
Over the last 10 years, the Département has been able to
facilitate or fund a total of 15,000 days of work on châteaux
ruins, all performed by volunteers. However, the practical
involvement of local people when it comes to other types of
heritage - forts, chapels, minor, unlisted built heritage - has
been declining for many years. Our built heritage is the focus of
many different projects and initiatives. Training sites, training
projects, projects centred on socio-economic integration, giving
people a chance to find out more about their heritage - this
'living castle heritage' brings people together, helps them find
fulfilment, encourages their personal development and even helps
some rebuild their lives through involvement in developing projects
aimed at promoting local heritage or protecting heritage sites.
In addition to its activities at the château du
Haut-Koenigsbourg, the Département performs the following
tasks:
- Helps project sponsors, site owners and administrators promote
and preserve the built heritage sites they are responsible
for,
- Offers technical guidance and advice on the best approaches and
strategies in order to enable both non-professionals and experts to
set up, maintain and help heritage-related projects thrive,
- Manages and organizes the network of not-for-profit bodies
involved in the field of built heritage,
- Manages the activities of the 'Veilleurs de châteaux forts'
network (an organization which provides volunteers who monitor the
state of repair of different castles in Alsace),
- Since 2012, in partnership with 'Châteaux forts vivants'
(Living castles), it organizes 'tourism for the local community'
days in castle ruins (introduction to the techniques used on
archaeological sites and digs, how to take measurements and make
recordings etc and a chance for members of the public to put what
they've seen into practice),
- Manages the Haut-Koenigsbourg Scientific Committee,
- Helps fund built heritage restoration projects.
Contact: Mathias HEISSLER, architecte du Patrimoine (specialized
in working with listed and old buildings) on 0033 (0)3.88.76.65.42,
mathias.heissler@cg67.fr