LES JOURNEES EUROPEENNES DU PATRIMOINE – Culture & Heritage weekend

Once again, the department throws open the doors of many of its museums, exhibitions and cultural centres, and invites visitors and residents alike to share the Catalan culture.

The aim? That the “heritage of the region can be passed on to our children in order they they understand and recognise the importance of carrying it on into their future.”

To celebrate this national heritage weekend, many of the towns and villages around the region will put on events throughout the two days, and wherever you go, you will find free entry to monuments, exhibitions and attractions.

Beware! They are not all free and it is worth checking in advance.

Click here for contact details for Perpignan museums or contact your local tourist office

Well worth a visit is the Centre de Conservation et de Restauration des OEuvres d’Art, unique in France, where you can join a guided visit (free) and see how the heritage is really preserved. Conservation and restoration workshops and a chance to study techniques for preserving artwork will be much appreciated by the artists amongst you.

Equally worth seeing are la Chapelle Notre Dame des Anges, la Maison de la Catalanité, le Palais des Rois de Majorque and the Prieuré de Serrabona as well as Les Archives Départementales, many of which are  free anyway…… but this weekend is as good a  time to visit them as any!

A chance to visit the Mémorial du Camp de Rivesaltes should also not be missed, a stark reminder that misery is also part of the history of the P-O

More details with time, place and opening hours can sometimes be found here although it depends whether participating museums and heritage sites have submitted their details.

Please check with individual sites and monuments as the following information is a typical yearly programme and details may change from one year to the next.

FREE ENTRY INTO THE FOLLOWING MONUMENTS

PERPIGNAN
♣ Hôtel Pams
♣ Cathédrale Saint-Jean
♣ Campo Santo et Funerària
♣ Site archéologique de Ruscino
♣ Hôtel de Ville
♣ Castillet
♣ Palais des Corts (actuelle Croix Rouge, place des Orfèvres)
♣ Casa Xanxo (8 rue de la Main de Fer)
♣ Poudrière (rue Rabelais)
♣ Serrat d’en Vaquer
♣ église des Dominicains et chapelle du Tiers-Ordre (place de la Révolution Française)
♣ couvent royal Saint-Claire (rue Derroja)
♣ couvent des Minimes
♣ églises Saint-Jacques, la Réal, Saint-Matthieu
♣ Palais des Rois de Majorque
♣ chapelle Notre Dame des Anges (rue Foch)
♣ ancienne Académie
♣ caserne Galliéni
ART GALLERIES, MUSEUMS AND HISTORICAL SITES THROUGHOUT THE REGION

GUIDED VISITS

• Themed circuits or monument visits by guides-conférenciers from Perpignan « Ville d’art et d’histoire » – last around 1h30 and are free and open to all.
• Le site archéologique de Ruscino (Château Roussillon)
• L’ensemble cathédral .
• L’église Saint-Jacques
• L’église la Réal
• L’Hôtel de Ville
• Le Castillet/Casa Pairal
• L’hôtel Pams, 18 rue Emile Zola
• Le Théâtre municipal
• Balade historique, le Castillet, la Loge, la Cathédrale, la Casa Xanxo : samedi et dimanche
• Secrets d’architecture /Les hôtels particuliers
• L’arc gothique, la chapelle du Tiers-Ordre, l’église des Dominicains, la Poudrière et le couvent des Minimes
• Promenade amoureuse, le visage romantique de Perpignan :
• Le quartier de la gare, histoire et architecture
• Architectures du début du XXe siècle, art déco, art nouveau, régionalisme, modernisme..

Most towns will host some kind of event so check with your local tourist office or visit the national website for more info.