European Heritage Days and Matrimoine Days

Launched under the name ‘Open Days at Historic Monuments’ by the French Ministry of Culture, the first Heritage Days took place in 1984, on the third Sunday in September.

Following the success of these events, a proposal was made to extend the initiative to the European level. It was in 1991 that the Council of Europe officially established the ‘European Heritage Days’.

Once again this year, across France, nearly 17, 000 monuments are opening their doors and offering more than 25,000 events as part of this initiative. This event provides an opportunity for the whole familyto experience the rich heritage around them in a different way.

Here in the Rouen metropolitan area, more than 60,000 of you take the opportunity each year to enjoy nearly 130 venues that open their doors for this special occasion.

The national themes for this year’s European Matrimony and Heritage Days will be :

“Photographic Heritage” and “Heritage at Risk: Revitalise, Resist, Reimagine”

This year, two themes will take centre stage! The first celebrates 200 years of photography and its role in collective memory and the representation of monuments. The second addresses the threats facing heritage (climate change, mass tourism, digitisation) and the solutions for its long-term preservation.

Join us on 18, 19 and 20 September in Rouen’s historic centre or in the Seine Valley to discover the heritage of the Rouen metropolitan area. The programme includes self-guided tours of monuments such as the Gros-Horloge and the Palais de Justice, as well as unusual events in museums and surprising venues.