From 8 to 12 July 2024, Odile Pradem-Faure, general delegate of the ACCR, and Pierre Aubry, treasurer of the ACCR and general delegate to the CCR des Dominicains de Haute Alsace, carried out a reconnaissance mission to Château Zámek Žďár, in the Czech Republic.
Hosted by Marie Kinsky and Constantin Kinský, co-founders of Zámek Žďár nad Sázavou, the ACCR team was able to showcase its expertise and mediation skills in terms of international cooperation. In fact, one of the challenges was to present to the Vysocina region the contribution made by a CCR to a given area, whether in terms of collaboration and territorial networking, visibility, public service missions or international cooperation that is a source of dialogue and encounters with diversity. The ACCR was able to meet the regional president, Mr Schrek, the deputy for culture, Mr Fabeš (an elected official), and the head of the cultural administration in Jihlava. The aim was also to reactivate the cultural and economic links between the Vicocina region and the Grand-Est region in France, through a strengthened partnership with Zámek Žďár nad Sázavou castle. Here, the JRC embodies the bridge between two countries and two cultures.
Another aim of the team's visit was to find out more about the site and the projects of the cultural centre, which was co-opted as an associate member of the ACCR in June 2024. Between visiting the château and its adjacent forest and taking part in the centre's festival, the ACCR was able to meet many of the people behind and driving this project: artists in residence, public relations managers, teams from the festival and the adjoining choreographic development centre, museum teams, and so on.
One of the ambitions of the Zámek Žďár nad Sázavou castle project is to highlight the parallels between the enhancement of architectural heritage and natural heritage through the interactions between cultural mediation and education, and raising awareness of nature beyond an emotional reaction but based on a scientific approach. The question of how to adapt our behaviour in the face of climate change is one of the main themes of the project, which will shortly be presented in detail in a member's sheet.