Arts & Culture

Heritage revisited

Saumur is taken as a starting point from which to discuss French identity and to help sketch a portrait of France in the year 2000.

The Saumurois region of France is one where castles and ancient dwellings are regular features of the landscape. This raises many questions. Should they be conserved as they are, should they be restored, should the past and present be encouraged to cohabit, or should as much money be made out of them as possible? For the State, the town and private owners alike, the problem of conserving their heritage is a challenging one.