2023-08-01 23:04:47
In 1539, French became the official language for all administrative acts in the kingdom of François I. In the castle of Villers-Cotterêts (Aisne) where this founding ordinance was taken, Emmanuel Macron will inaugurate the International City of the French language on October 19, the Elysée announced on Tuesday.
The restoration of this castle of François I was one of President Macron’s priorities. From an architectural point of view, the royal residence is a masterpiece housing small treasures, such as unique decorative elements sculpted on the stairs. Many lovers of this royal residence located 80 km from Paris were in a hurry to see this building reborn, abandoned to its sad fate.
Announced in 2018 by Emmanuel Macron on the occasion of the International Day of La Francophonie, the renovation of the castle to make it a center dedicated to the national language began in 2020, with a budget of 185 million euros.
La Francophonie will hold its summit there in the fall of 2024
La Cité promises 1,600 m² of permanent and temporary exhibitions open to the public, a 250-seat auditorium, twelve residency workshops for artists, researchers and entrepreneurs from the Francophonie, and a research and innovation laboratory on the challenges linguistics.
The renovation will also offer residents a passage between the city, where the writer Alexandre Dumas was born, and the forest of Retz. The city must also host the Francophonie Summit to be held in France in the fall of 2024, said the Elysée.
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