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Journées Européennes du Patrimoine 2022 in the Vendee

Welcome to the European Heritage days 2022! In the Vendée, that is. The 3rd weekend of September ranks among the best weekends of the year in France! It is the perfect weekend to challenge yourselves with a sprint around our lovely Département du Vendée for the opportunity to visit well-known historical locations and monuments as well as sites that are rarely open to the public, for free or at a reduced rate. How mental the sightseeing tour is entirely up to you. We tend to drive between 300 and 400km in two days, our destinations mapped either in a loop, or chosing a gem farther afield with things to see along the way. Here’s a list of options  in 2022. This year’s theme is sustainable patrimony.The history of the Journées Européennes du Patrimoine or European HeritageThe French Ministry of Culture began the event  La Journée Portes Ouvertes in 1984. In the …

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2021 Journées du Patrimoine Vendée: list of things to see

Welcome to the European Heritage days of 2020! The 3rd weekend of September ranks among the best weekends of the year for us! We challenge ourselves with a spring around our lovely Département du Vendée for the opportunity to visit well-known historical locations and monuments as well as sites that are rarely open to the public, for free or at a reduced rate. Join us for a list of options this year.Historically, how did the Journées Européennes du Patrimoine or European Heritage days begin? The French Ministry of Culture began the event  La Journée Portes Ouvertes in 1984. In the following year, at the 2nd European Conference of Ministers responsible for Architectural Heritage, the French Minister of Culture proposed that the project be internationalised under the European council. The Netherlands joined with their own Open Monumentendag in 1987, followed by Sweden and Ireland in 1989, and Belgium and Scotland in 1990. In 1991 the …