Art, history, granite...

Culture and Heritage

Art, history, passion…

In a territory like Creuse, which now draws its strength from what used to be its weaknesses, the legacy of the past has not been squandered. And today it is lighting up the future! From the roughest granite castle, to the most delicate tapestry work, by dint of monumental sculptures or by small impressionistic touches…. here for centuries, man has been creating with genius a living and unique garden!

Exceptional know-how!

In the land of the Creuse Masons who shaped Paris and its architecture, the Creuse builders have made stone an art. Here, it is the stone, there, it is the wool, which delivers its secret message with the Tapestries and our artists, our craftsmen, translate it with emotion, imagination and talent. Let’s not forget also impressionism, since it is indeed in Creuse that Claude Monet signed his first series of 24 paintings.

Aubusson Tapestries, “Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage”

TheInternational Tapestry Cityhas become a must-see place: a journey through 6 centuries of tapestries up to the most astonishing contemporary tapestries. Other places like the House of the tapestry maker, workshops, manufactures and spinning mills also open their doors to you to discover this still very much alive wool industry.

The Valley of the Impressionist Painters

Claude Monet, Armand Guillaumin, Francis Picabia, among others, immortalize the landscapes of the confluence of the two Creuses, the banks of the Sedelle, the ancient-fortress-of-Crozant, the light, rocks and heather of this Valley of the Painters, through their impressionistic works. Today, many contemporary artists follow in their footsteps.

The creative excess of men has given all its strength to granite, shaping castles, churches and inspiring the most beautiful legends…

Discover a surprising heritage such as the Village of Masgot, sculptures with the strangest shapes revealing strength and mystery, or contemporary frescoes painted on the walls of a church at Sous-Parsat!”

Dive into medieval history at Bourganeuf and follow in the footsteps of an Ottoman prince Zizim who was imprisoned in a tower that today bears his name; not to mention powerful fortresses like the one in Crozant, or the castles that have stood the test of time: the Château de Boussac particularly impressive on its rocky spur or the elegance and power of the Château de Villemonteix

la Creuse, tapisserie d'AubussonBruno Ythier, conservateur de la Cité internationale de la tapisserie
©Bruno Ythier, conservateur de la Cité internationale de la tapisserie

“The objective is to share skills and knowledge to keep them alive. To preserve an intangible cultural heritage, it must be transmitted!”

Bruno Ythier, curator