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International Centre of dry stone heritage at the Beaucet

Dry stone is a strong cultural symbol, both as part of the identity of the Provence Alpes-Cote d’Azur region, and as a unifying feature of the Mediterranean landscape.
In this spirit of unity, and with the idea of building a dynamic collaboration between those involved in dry stone work, the DATAR (Délégation à l’Aménagement du Territoire et à l’Action Régionale / Delegation for Territorial Development and Regional Dynamics) and the regional administration of Provence Alpes-Côte d’Azur have decided to support the institution of a centre for dry stone heritage at the Beaucet in the Vaucluse.

Objectives

1 - Contact, inform and mobilize dry stone professionals
- Designers: engineers, architects, landscape artists.
- Businesses and companies: builders, stone cutters, landscape gardening businesses and stone extraction companies, in order to establish a directory of the people involved and jointly create a common charter of quality.

2 - Direct an international network for exchanges and meetings between countries involved in dry stone work.
- Organise study trips and seminars.
- Set up an Internet forum: www.reppis.net (currently under construction).

3 - Promote the market of dry stone work
- Publications.
- Cultural tourism itineraries based on dry stones.
- Creation of a park of "Land'Art"around the castle at the Beaucet.
- Events: world championships of dry stone wallers (planned for 2002).

4 - Create a resource and documentation centre on dry stone work at the library of heritage professions at the castle of the Beaucet. This will also be accessible on the Internet

5 - Organise training sessions for learning dry-stone techniques
- Public lectures about terraced landscapes, styles of dry stone construction across the network of countries.
- Continuous professional training, short courses linked to existing professional training centres.
- Work site schools at symbolic sites on the dry stone route.

It is with these objectives in mind that the community of the Beaucet, the Chambre des Metiers of the Vaucluse and APARE, in partnership with the DATAR of the PACA region, have begun an effort to link up all the avid defenders and passionate observers of a traditional agricultural art that has shaped our landscapes.

The European Dry-Stone Forum

n°1 December 2003

n°2 April 2004

other informations on dry-stone…