The village of Crozant, in the Creuse, has managed to climb into the top 30 of the country's small towns most consulted on Wikipedia.
Famous thanks to the greatest impressionist painters, this small town of 400 inhabitants is now enjoying new notoriety thanks to social networks.
With very concrete economic benefits for local economic life.
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A souvenir photo in front of the Crozant fortress. Like Agnès and her friends, 20,000 visitors admired the view this year, twice as many as four years ago. “In autumn, it’s truly a marvel. It’s a pleasure to walk there”exclaim two walkers.
Made famous by the greatest impressionist painters, the small town of 400 inhabitants is now enjoying new notoriety thanks to social networks. One of them encouraged his two friends to come there. “Recently, we looked to see if there were any painting galleries open. I found some on Facebook that we haven’t visited yet,” explains a tourist in the video at the top of this article. Publications on the Internet which are posted by the departmental committee and the Intercommunal Tourist Office, with one objective, to take the most beautiful photo. “You really need visual quality. And it’s true that Crozant and this valley are very photogenic,” says Graziella Penot, communications manager.
The idea of the day made me want to discover Crozant outside of the summer period. “There is a community, we have super fans who react very regularly. There are people who also share,” explains Tiphaine Hirou, cultural mediator. As a result, the village is today among the most consulted small towns on Wikipedia. Something to delight the residents. “The villages of Creuse like many villages, are becoming depopulated and dying. So indeed, attracting new visitors who might want to settle down, I find that very good”explains a woman interviewed in the TF1 report. “I didn't know anything about Crozant until I saw posts on Instagram and Facebook”explains Marc, a British man who fell under the charm of the small village.
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A growing popularity, which also benefits the village museum. By communicating on social networks, the collection of works lent by individuals has continued to grow. “During the first exhibitions, when we could have 3-5 paintings, that was already a lot for us. Since we didn't yet have all the contacts we have today. And today, this year, in the museum, we had 89 works”. More paintings for 8,000 visitors, a figure tripled in just a few years. The benefits are also visible in the village, where two new restaurants should soon open.
