With 20 years of experience, it has been able to develop effective tools to carry out numerous restoration projects alongside local communities and private owners. One project is being supported every 5 km! As a recognized entity of public utility, the Heritage Foundation offers a guarantee of security and financial transparency that has been praised by the Court of Audit.
The Stéphane Bern Mission
The Heritage Mission was entrusted to Stéphane Bern by the President of the French Republic in September 2017. Its goal is to identify the heritage sites that are in danger throughout France, using open submission on the website www.missionbern.fr. The Heritage Foundation, the minister for culture and Française des Jeux choose sites every year that will benefit from financial support. To help protect the 3,500 sites considered to be at risk, the Heritage Foundation benefits from the proceeds of the Heritage Mission games set up by Française des Jeux in the form of lottery draws and scratch cards.
In the autumn of 2020, the Heritage Mission unveiled the 101 new winning sites. These include two structural renovation projects carried out by Voies Navigables de France: the Kembs-Niffer lock, designed by the architect Le Corbusier (funding of €300,000), and the former freight booking office in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (funding of €292,000). Since 2018, the VNF Patronage Program has been invited to contribute to the Heritage Mission and works closely alongside the Heritage Foundation with one common goal: preserving French heritage. In 2019, €150,000 was granted to the Canal du Midi replanting project.
Projects
Renovating the Hers Aqueduct
As part of its work toward preserving the canal du Midi, the Voies navigables de France patronage program, in partnership with the Occitanie delegation of the Heritage Foundation, launched a call for donations for the restoration of the Hers Aqueduct in 2017. Designed by Vauban, this masterpiece is located between Renneville and Gardouch (31) and is in desperate need of major renovation work. €6,670 was raised in 2020.
Renovating the Briare Aqueduct
As part of its work toward preserving the Canal du Midi, the Voies Navigables de France patronage program, in partnership with the Occitanie delegation of the Heritage Foundation, launched a call for donations for the restoration of the Hers Aqueduct in 2017. Designed by Vauban, this masterpiece located between Renneville and Gardouch (31) was in desperate need of major renovation work. A total of €45,518 was collected and the opening of the renovation took place November 10, 2022.
The former freight booking office in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine
The walls of the former freight booking office in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, located in the heart of the inland water shipping industry’s birthplace, have been slowly deteriorating over the years. The building, which was built in 1958 by the Arsène-Henry brothers, can be found in a symbolic location at the confluence of the Oise and the Seine, near the Port of Conflans and the future Port Seine Métropole Ouest. It is also due to become VNF’s regional headquarters. To date, €12,156 has been collected, on top of the Heritage Mission’s grant of €292,000
We thank the company AS ENERGY, which also supports the renovation project of the former freight booking office in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine.
The Kembs-Niffer Lock
After an assessment of the damage in 2019, the Kembs-Niffer lock’s control tower and administrative building were deemed to be at risk. These two buildings were designed by architect Le Corbusier, representing his only works in Alsace and one of his few public commissions. To date, €14,918 has been collected, on top of the €300,000 grant made by the Heritage Mission.
We would like to thank the MAIRIE DE KEMBS, THE CONSORTIUM INTERNATIONAL DES VOIES NAVIGABLES ET MULTIMODALES and the ASSOCIATION ESPACE RHÉNAN ANIMATION as well as the companies ALSACHIMIE, RAK PROTECT, RAK AMIANTE and LES AFFICHES VINTAGE DOZ, patrons of the Kembs-Niffer Lock, for their support in its renovation project.
