2023-11-18 11:24:10
Published on Nov 18, 2023 at 10:24 a.m.
Since 2017, the Île-de-France region has focused on highlighting and promoting unprotected heritage, that which is neither classified nor registered as a Historic Monument, and does not receive any aid.
To do this, it proceeds to the selection, with a view to labeling it as “Heritage of regional interest” of a certain number of sites “interesting for the quality of their architecture or for the testimony of the history of the ‘Île-de-France that they represent’.
Potentially eligible are rural, industrial buildings, typical 20th century architecture, garden cities, artists’ houses, etc. whose owners may be public or private.
The first animal cemetery in France
In Hauts-de-Seine, and for this 2023 edition, the Region’s choice fell on the dog cemetery in Asnières-sur-Seine (Hauts-de-Seine), the only place of its kind in Île-de-Seine. -France and first cemetery for animals in France. Since 1899, more than 90,000 dogs, cats, horses, as well as marmosets and turtles (non-exhaustive list), have been buried there.
Established since 1899 on the former Île des Ravageurs, upstream of the Clichy bridge, the cemetery was attached to the bank in 1979 by the filling in of an arm of the Seine. The design of the entrance to the place, an Art Nouveau style portal with two doors for pedestrians to pass through, is the work of Parisian architect Eugène Petit. Once threatened with disappearance, this place with its remarkable architecture has benefited from protection as a registered site since 1987 and was purchased by the City.
Support for financing the work
“A labeling by the Region marks the recognition of the heritage value of this cemetery, beyond a simple curiosity,” welcomes Josiane Fischer, deputy mayor of Asnières (Hauts-de-Seine) delegated to town planning and to major projects. And to recall that “a first renovation of the entrance wall has already been carried out thanks to help from the Region and the Department” and that it is now a question of “finalizing the restoration and beautifying the cemetery and the outdoor spaces”.
The cost of rebuilding the two pavilions alone represents a budget of 1.5 million euros. Labeling by the Region would open up the possibility for the city to request aid – capped at 500,000 euros – to finance restoration and development work. A second financial boost, capped at 30,000 euros, would support the media coverage of the cemetery to help people discover this Ile-de-France heritage unlike any other.
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