Living every day in an exceptional setting (4th December 2010)

Know, preserve and make heritage

The opening presentation by Yves Luginbühl, Research Director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), on the way in which residents of Mont Saint Michel Bay perceive this site (also listed as a World Heritage), set the tone for an afternoon of varied conferences in the image of Loire Valley heritages. 

From the Renaissance architecture of the Loire Châteaux to the modern architecture of the Vinci International Convention Centre in Tours, not forgetting the cycle path "La Loire à Vélo" and the troglodyte dwellings, the participants never ceased in their questioning of what makes heritage, and of our ability to grasp its "exceptional universal value" that UNESCO has recognised. 

The Forum of Loire stakeholders

Moreover, only enthusiasts of the Loire and of heritage came to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the listing. This strengthens the belief that assimilation of this listing by Loire Valley inhabitants is still a major challenge for the years to come, especially the work on what Jacques Auxiette, President of the Pays de la Loire Region and Mission Val de Loire, called the "sense of belonging" to this region marked by the Loire just the day before. 

The 60 associations, cultural and heritage institutions, local authorities, artists, photographers and publishers involved in the Forum are playing their part in this awareness-raising task, through their activities all year round. As well as the documentaries and exhibitions presented at this event, and, of course, the readings of the rich literary landscape in the Loire with which actor Alain Leclerc delighted the public. 

What future?

For the longer-term prospects, the morning panel discussion, organised in partnership with the Etablissement Public Loire, was devoted to the impacts of climate change on the Loire Valley, particularly on the episodes of rising/falling water levels in the Loire, and their impacts in terms of fauna and flora development. 

On the web:

• Présentations de la journée