Association de sauvegarde du château de Calmont d'Olt
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Association de sauvegarde du château de Calmont d'Olt
Tel : 07 82 65 96 64
Tel : 05 65 51 69 92
Email : info@chateaucalmont.org
Heritage site : www.chateaucalmont.org
Mailing address :
Association de sauvegarde du château de Calmont d'Olt
Château de Calmont d'Olt
4 Rue de Bouquiès
12500 Espalion
In 1986 the castle of Calmont d'Olt, feudal ruin which dominated the town of Espalion, was bought by an enthusiast of old stones, at his request and to protect it from the promoters the castle obtained the title of Listed Historic Monument and during the 12 years which followed an educational project of heritage interpretation, with medieval animations, was born, as well as many brushcutting, clearing and stabilization sites in which a group of friends and very many scouts participated, all thanks to with the help of the Architect of Buildings of France.
In 1997, André Châtelain Honorary President of REMPART, who had come to visit Calmont d'Olt, offered us the possibility of joining the REMPART association. It was the turning point which allowed us to enter the dynamics of international volunteer work sites.
The association was created in 1998; the members already existed (the band of friends) they took over the project of the owner who made them an emphyteutic lease, the statutes were deposited with as object: "The study, the development, the restoration and the animation of the Castle of Calmont d'Olt with a view to ensuring its safeguarding and conservation ”.
From the restoration sites, there is a succession of works each summer under the aegis of REMPART, freeing the castle from the gangue of archaeological embankments that clutters it up, carving the stone, masonry and stabilizing the exposed walls, identifying the architecture that appears to us. This helps us to better understand the history and the functioning of this medieval fortress.
The educational project has evolved and we are working on raising awareness among young audiences of history and heritage through a fun approach, interpretation circuits, medieval events, but also educational workshops, heritage classes and archaeological exhibitions.
Calmont d'Olt, built between the 10th and 15th centuries, has the singularity of having been filled not by the gods but by men, with a mass of embankments which added to the collapses can form layers of up to seven meters .
Their meticulous release, in archaeological conditions, reveals unknown information, a forgotten architecture that requires immediate stabilization.
It is these works that we entrust to REMPART worksites supervised by stonemasons, masons and archaeologists.
In 2009, alarming observation; the Tour Grosse will open in two in the coming years. A rescue plan is established over three years, it is necessary to restore part of its elevation, surround the dungeon and seal it.
Fortunately, the archaeological discoveries have given us enough clues for the twin berries to be returned; this was the focus of the 2010 projects. In 2011 and 2012, following the stabilization program, work will focus on the stairs, floors, slabs and terraces.
From its origin in 1986 the Calmont d'Olt safeguard initiative carried an educational project, the owner passionate about architectural reading saw it as a way to transmit his passion by interpreting the functions of these old stones.
We had to educate the public, interest them with a theme. Outside the medieval castle is often the illustration of a defense system, but how were these castles attacked?
Surprised by the technologies developed, but detached from any warmongering, we studied and illustrated the techniques of siege and warfare in the Middle Ages, in particular the period of the 15th century, the last great architectural upheaval of the Middle Ages due to the advent of the powder which in Calmont d'Olt saw the construction of a low enclosure endowed with 8 towers open to the throat and 32 gunboat crossbow archers.
The human adventure in the integration by the economic activity of our association lasted 8 years and ceased in 2009, when the upheaval of social laws and administrative constraints were such that we had to choose between abandoning our statutory object - the Calmont castle which still required years of work - and the "external" building sites that the IAE imposed on us.
The social still permeates the association a lot and an agreement binds us to the Pôle Emploi, it allows people in very precarious situations to do internships in business in our structure, the trades of masonry and stone, spaces green and public reception are then practiced by job seekers and evaluated by our salaried or volunteer supervisors.
Agreements also bind us to universities or training organizations in the tourism trades and we have organized courses for staff of the Judicial Youth Protection.
Heritage project managed by the association
Erasmus Heritage Volunteers at Calmont d'Olt Castle