Originally, the response was to come in… June 2018. It took until September 2023 but the game was worth the effort: 139 Franco-Belgian sites on the western front gained recognition from UNESCO and among them, the Indian memorial and the Portuguese cemetery, stone tributes to the violent battles of Lys and Neuve-Chapelle. From 1is October 2023, the Indian ceremony planned there had a particular resonance.
One year later, is the impact being felt? Honestly, not yet, recognizes Jérôme Demulier, mayor of Richebourg and “duty of memory” referent for the agglomeration, and Cindy Lejeune, project manager at the Béthune-Bruay tourist office. But it will come, they are sure, provided they do the right thing. And in the shadows, things move.
The 139 sites earned the label together but if only one fails, the 139 lose it!”
« The tourist office is carrying out a lot of work, accelerated over the past year with obtaining the label », insists Cindy Lejeune. Jérôme Demulier confirms: “ We have a treasure but we must bring it to light! » As with this new brochure released this summer on places of memory to visit. A nod to the Olympic Games, it incorporates the faces of great sportsmen who died in combat and rest in our military cemeteries: the rugby player David McLaren in Festubert, the tennis player Anthony Wilding in Richebourg…
An audit in progress
« We are also doing a lot of work with Somme Tourisme. They are ahead in the way of promoting these places, signage, museums, accommodation, etc., we went to see them in June. ” Moreover, ” a design office is working on our project around tourism: list of all existing sites, identification of target customers, accommodation, etc. They take a neutral and fresh look, we expect their proposals within a few months. » The audit financed by the Region is carried out on a territorial scale because the aura of the label extends to everyone.
In September, a departmental committee met around the prefect in Arras. Elected officials, remembrance associations, representatives of National Education… “ The message is that we have UNESCO sites and that it is the world that is watching us… More and more, we know how to show Richebourg on the map. » The project currently being written will be scrutinized and it has its requirements: signage, arrangements, activities, educational component in schools… The pressure is heavy: “ Even to use the UNESCO logo on a document, a mug, etc., you need authorization. Its use is very regulated. »The 139 won the label together, but “ if only one fails, all 139 lose it! »
