"
An infinite sadness and as much amazement
".
It is with these words that Stéphane Bern evokes the demolition on September 30 of a half-timbered house dating from 1662, in Geudertheim.
In an open letter addressed to Pierre Gross, mayor (DVD) of this village in the Bas-Rhin, the head of the “Heritage Mission” denounces an “
act of vandalism
” against a “
jewel of Alsatian heritage
”.
The house, which was the oldest in the village, was destroyed to make way for a school.
The Association for the Safeguarding of the Alsatian House (ASMA) has worked to save the building since March 13, the date of signature of the demolition permit.
Its vice-president, Denis Elbel, does not take offense.
“
It was not a castle, of course, but this house still survived the Thirty Years' War and the Dutch war.
He criticizes the method used by the mayor.
“
On the permit, he said the house was built
around 1900
, which is rude,
” he laments.
Read also: Stéphane Bern calls for a "new deal" for heritage
In the process, and after having carried out research to date the house, the association lodged a free appeal with Pierre Gross.
“
The village historian has researched the land register and the family tree.
He discovered that the initials
NW
on the house correspond to
Niklas Wolf.
Our half-timbered houses were considered under the Ancien Régime as pieces of furniture that could be dismantled and reassembled.
In this specific case, we are sure that it is at this precise place that Niklas Wolf built the house in 1662. This house, of which we have found the genealogy and the details, was a heritage treasure
”.
This house dating from 1662 was the oldest in the village of Geudertheim.
Denis elbel
Despite the obvious (voluntary?) Error of the date on the demolition permit, the mayor refused to backpedal.
"
He said no way, I'm going to put my school here,
" says Denis Elbel.
The vice-president of ASMA then contacted the director of the Council of Architecture, Urbanism and the Environment of the Bas-Rhin.
The public interest organization, together with ASMA, imagined a project reconciling the construction of the school center and the preservation of the half-timbered house.
“
We proposed that the house be converted into a courtyard.
We would then kill two birds with one stone, by reusing the house while promoting an educational dimension.
We could thus explain to the children what a half-timbered house is
”, specifies the vice-president of the association.
An alternative solution that he considered all the more convincing as it was inexpensive.
“
We came up with a very economical solution,”
he argues.
It was no longer a question of restoring the house since it was no longer a habitat.
We kept the framework, which avoided the construction of another small building planned in the playground
”.
The house was demolished on September 30.
Denis elbel
The standoff didn't stop there.
An appeal filed on May 6 with the administrative court was rejected.
Indeed, Pierre Gross, who was already in office at the time of the adoption of the current local urban plan - the last modification of which dates from February 28, 2020 -, had it voted by removing the option "
protection half-timbered houses
”.
The design office had nevertheless recommended this option in a preliminary document.
“
The mayor deleted this paragraph, so the only document is the one that was voted on.
The administrative court had no choice but to say that this building was not protected by the PLU, the only document opposable to the mayor,
”he deplores.
It was therefore impossible to cancel the demolition permit.
The department opposed to demolition
It was then the departmental council that was seized.
Its president Frédéric Bierry had “
voice in the chapter
”, according to Denis Elbel, the community financing 10% of the cost of this project.
The vice-president of ASMA presented him with the idea of the courtyard, "an
idea he found interesting because very economical
".
On July 10, Frédéric Bierry wrote to the association and to the mayor, asking the latter to keep the house.
"
He proposed two solutions: the conversion into a courtyard and the dismantling and reassembly a little further in the village of the house - a solution that the mayor had pretended to defend
", explains Denis Elbel.
Read also: Five graphics to decipher French heritage
This support from the department “
reassured
” opponents of the project from the end of July.
"
Everyone thought we would find a solution
."
September 30, the day of the demolition, therefore had the effect of a cold shower.
“
I fell from my chair.
The worst is that the mayor pretended to be in the consultation, while he is judge and party: he managed to create a PLU allowing him to do what he wants.
There is no
checks and balances, ”he laments.
In an article published by the
Latest News from Alsace
, Frédéric Bierry said he felt “
a little betrayed
”.
A "
completely contemporary
" building
On the site left empty, a “
completely contemporary
” building will soon be built.
The permit has already been filed, without recourse to the Architecte des Bâtiments de France, since no building is classified as a historic monument within a perimeter of 500 meters.
"
There is however a castle but which is not classified since the mayor does not wish it
", explains Denis Elbel.
Stéphane Bern, in his open letter, speaks of Pierre Gross as “the
gravedigger of the history of his village
”.
Questioned by France 3 Alsace, the councilor assumes his action and responds bluntly to the presenter of “Secrets d'Histoire”.
“
He doesn't know me and doesn't know exactly what he's talking about, I think.
He and other people from the outside who send me these messages know nothing about the history of our city or our children.
"