A chance in June, a chance in September…. After the 18 emblematic sites revealed before the holidays, Stéphane Bern, Mr. Heritage of President Macron, announced Monday morning the 101 new "winners" of the third edition of the Loto du patrimoine. As many monuments or sites to restore, one per department, which will benefit from subsidies thanks to the profits of the game of chance. Among them: the fishing walls of Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis), a somewhat unusual and rural place chosen for the press conference.
In this motley list, next to the more traditional castles and numerous churches, there are others. Like the blanket and fleece factory in Thizy les Bourgs (Rhône), the typed pear oven in Rivarennes (Indre-et-Loire) or the barn barn and henhouse in Salles-Argelès (Hautes-Pyrénées)… “This are often sites which unfortunately usually have no visibility and which the municipalities do not have the means to restore. It is also what makes the interest of the Mission. Associations or communities alert us directly by submitting a file on our site. The choice does not come from above ”, welcomes Stéphane Bern.
"On average, we have at least 6 files per department"
In the end, you still have to select. For two years, in an attempt to avoid controversy, the principle of a “mesh” of the entire territory has been adopted, with one site per department. But each year, there are ultimately few elected compared to demand. “On average, we have at least 6 files per department. The choices are not easy at times, but we do it in consultation with the ministry and the Heritage Foundation. The solidity of the project is important but they are often above all favorites, admits the host. I could cite you for example the church of Asnières-sur-Vègre in Sarthe, the House of Colette in Yonne or that of Gérard Philipe in Cergy in Val-d'Oise ”. As many sites will be allocated aid which ranges on average from 30,000 to 150,000 euros.
The date of the announcement was not chosen at random. It is also that of the launch of the new edition of the Loto du patrimoine by la Française des jeux. First, players can find at their tobacconist the new scratch tickets, at 15 euros, to hope for a record gain: 1.5 million euros. You will then have to wait until September 9 for a special classic Loto draw which will be followed by 4 others until the 19, D-Day for Heritage Days.
“The Loto brought in 25 million euros last year. We hope to increase to 30 million this year. I don't think the health crisis will slow down our momentum. On the contrary, people are scratching more and more, ”says Stéphane Bern.
Montreuil fishing walls, a site threatened for 30 years by urbanization projects
The choice of the place for this press conference is not a coincidence either: the peach walls of Montreuil, 34 ha of gardens, where people were growing from the 17th century, backed by white walls, the peach trees which supplied the table of kings. A site threatened for 30 years by urbanization projects but maintained and defended tooth and nail by associations.
“It is a remarkable heritage site that owes a lot to all the associations that work there. But also a landscaped site, nature in the city. I am delighted to be able to meet Alexis Corbières there (Editor's note: LFI deputy for the constituency) but also the elected communists and ecologists of Montreuil. It's a way of showing that heritage can bring us all together, slips Stéphane Bern with a smile. I also hope that this will make it possible, by putting it in full light, to sanctify it. "