This is an area where the difference between the weight of the State and of its benefits, concrete seems disproportionate. The maintenance of historic properties (monuments, places of worship, objects of art, etc.) is neglected in France, agree many experts and historians of the item How much public money is devoted to this mission, and if the investments are not at the height, how much the national treasures require? Le Figaro made the point.
A tiny fraction of the public budget
within the meager budget of the culture, the part dedicated to the heritage is a little more than a billion euros in commitment approvals. Inside, the funds for the monumental heritage is divided into two sub-categories: € 130 million for the “restoration of historical monuments major projects” and 326 million euros for “the maintenance and restoration of historic monuments”, out major projects.
” READ ALSO – The Culture has again a budget of 10 billion euros
These funds finance the “historical monuments” of the State and are for part (210 million) distributed to local authorities to fund 290.000 objects, and 44,000 buildings protected. Credits acquisition of the museum, with € 9.8 million, are very low compared to the value of the remarkable objects sold in each year: “it is not a measure of the magnitude of what we let slip away, because the ministry refused to grant access to certificates of export,” stressed Julien Lacaze, vice-president of the association Sites and Monuments, Society for the Protection of Landscape and Aesthetics of France).
communities responsible for their monuments
The central State, however, is not the only provider of funds, communities and other private actors (firms, individuals…) are also involved in the operations: according to the law, the “owner of a historical monument is now owner of the work are undertaken”. In this respect, it should choose the contractor and ensure the necessary funding, including seeking public and private actors.
” READ ALSO – Didier Rykner: “This disaster could have been avoided”
however, since the movement of the devolution of the 2000s, a majority of historical monuments no longer belong to the State but to local authorities (51%) or to private owners (46%). With the help of the central State, the scales smaller, which the commons, therefore, must support their local heritage. A significant cost for entities with more limited means: in 2017, the spending by the “State partners” to restore the protected heritage assets were estimated at 295 million euros, according to the ministry.
For example, the region of Île-de-France deploys 10 million euros for the preservation of its heritage, an investment that is not totally disinterested: “a euro invested generates € 70 economic impact, with revenue amounting to approximately 5 billion euros,” says the Figaro the vice-president in charge of culture, Agnes Evren. In practice, the region proposes to the municipalities of him to make up their needs to maintain their monuments, and then it brings them a financial support. These millions of euros remain, however, inadequate to the scale of the territory: alone, Île-de-France accounts for nearly 10% of the French historical monuments. “The French have a visceral attachment to their history, heritage is essential, it is for this reason that we try to defend it,” says Agnes Evren, who pointed out that the regional majority has increased the budget by three since his arrival.
needs far exceed the resources
These resources allow preservation of the heritage? Certainly not: there would be, according to several sources, approximately 2000 historical monuments in danger or partly in danger, and beyond the monuments, the overall situation is a cause for concern on certain types of buildings. According to a parliamentary report by mp (RL), and chairman of the finance committee Gilles Carrez, “the resources devoted to the maintenance of our heritage […] are known to be inadequate. Evidenced by the number of monuments at risk overall or in part on the state of degradation of some of the ancient sites”. Why such negligence? According to Julien Lacaze, “the ministry of Culture works as elsewhere, as a function of the lobbying. Those who make noise get satisfaction. And the protectors of heritage are not enough to speak of them.” Moreover, if the current collection for the rebuilding of Notre-Dame is a beautiful gesture in the spirit, it also shows a state of being cruel: the taxpayer has accepted the idea that the State had failed to take care of its heritage.
In detail, some types of monuments are more neglected than others. Thus, in the cathedrals, directly at the expense of the State, who are experiencing a problem of outdated age according to Didier Rykner, and, more generally, of the churches throughout France. Julien Lacaze cited many cases where communities undertake, in recent years, procedures for destruction rather than restoration.
Approximately 750 million euros annually, to make up for the delay
How much, then, to devote to the estate? According to Dider Rykner, “he would have had to spend about 400 million euros per year to this budget. But we are no longer there, given the state of heritage at the present time.” The creator of the site information the gallery of The Art points out the difficulty of an accurate estimate of the current needs, but considers that “with 750 million euros, one could catch up and implement a real policy of preservation and enhancement”. The investment in heritage allows you to back up know-how, to increase the range of arts and crafts or construction, and is therefore indirectly beneficial for all the owners of the objects or buildings of interest. Not to mention the economic benefits, through tourism.
” READ ALSO “The hundreds of millions of euros for Our Lady should also help the French churches!”
If the State continues to refuse to provide the necessary effort, the historian of the art proposes two solutions: an increase of the tax of the hotels (one euro a day would be 400 million euros of additional revenues a year), or a levy of 1.8% on updates of the Française des jeux, as for the sport which has already benefited from this windfall. Julien Lacaze believes that each euro non-défiscalisé (provided by the taxpayer) of the collection for Our Lady should result in an epissing public money to a campaign of restoration of the small country churches: “it is not serious that the ministry of Culture devotes 3% of its budget to this, however, forms the heart of its mission.”
The increasing support of the private sector
so far, the recent development aid and private actors to complement the work public. The funds provided by enterprises and individuals is difficult to estimate, but some data underscore their exponential growth in recent years: for example, the sponsorship by companies has increased considerably, from $ 945 million of reported donations in 2010 to nearly $ 2 billion in 2017, according to the association Admical. A quarter of these donations go into the field “culture and heritage”, the strong growth in the. An evolution supported by the legislative developments, such as the famous tax advantages which may benefit the individuals and private groups. The power of the public has sometimes also been used to display advertising (€50 million), and has organized the recent lotto’s heritage, which has reported 21 million euros in 2018, according to the ministry of Culture.
fund-Raising, foundations, jackpots online, corporate sponsorship, donations, legacies… initiatives. Some of the most original flourish sometimes: by December 2017, the château de la Mothe-Chandeniers in a very bad state, was bought by the 18,000 users around the world via an online platform that has raised 1.6 million euros in two months. A marvelous success, which has contributed to the Mr. Heritage of the government, Stéphane Bern. Later, a new pot of solidarity has received 460.000 euro to renovate the place.
