Since 2002, IESA arts&culture has been associated with the Vielles Maisons Françaises association to reward the cultural animation of a heritage site.
The Vieilles Maisons Françaises (VMF) Prize is awarded each year to buildings that are not protected as Historic Monuments but are of major interest for History and Art History. The award is granted by a commission made up of professionals.
Fort de Feyzin (69)
The prize is awarded by a jury made up of representatives of the Fondation Vieilles Maisons Françaises and IESA arts&culture. This year they awarded the prize to Pierre Chandès of the Fort de Feyzin in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in 2020.
IESA arts&culture offers them a 4-month training cycle, a tourism development study and a check worth €2,300 to improve public reception. By offering a tourism development study carried out by students of the Master in Cultural Heritage and Tourism and a year of training in Cultural Mediation and Production, IESA arts&culture works for the enhancement of French heritage and its transmission.
The Fort de Feyzin is a former underground fortress of 22,000 m2 dating from the second half of the nineteenth century. Polygonal, it forms, along with others, a fortified belt around Lyon. Its purpose is to ensure the defense of Lyon to the south.
This former military fort is recognized by specialists as one of the best examples of the Séré de Rivières style, named after its designer: General Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières. Very little used for its original function, this structure was eventually occupied as a garrison by the army and then by the national gendarmerie.
Located in an exceptional environment, the fort is bordered by 26 hectares of forest classified as a Sensitive Natural Area (ENS).
