The Grand Tour
Bureau Europa, as a cultural platform, offers a perspective on architecture and design in Maastricht, Limburg, and Europe. With the Grand Tour we are organizing this autumn, participants embark on a journey through Europe, visiting historical sites shaped by ever-changing forms of beauty, knowledge, and stories. A recurring theme connects these locations: heritage that has been repurposed for future use and programming. The ENCI site in Maastricht, various craft locations in the Black Forest, the town center of Belsito in Arpino (Italy), and Château de Fresne in Mayenne (France) are part of this journey. Together with the program makers, architects, and monument owners, each of these reactivation projects will feature excursions, lectures, workshops, and small exhibitions.
Over the past years, four distinct locations across Europe have been developed from the ground up. In Italy and France, these initiatives arose from private efforts, while in Germany and Maastricht they were driven by formal commissions, sparking revitalization processes in which curators and architects developed unique and personal narratives. Although the projects differ in approach, all four are indirectly focused on regional engagement and the relationship between heritage and public participation, with architecture and design often at the core.
House Belsito is located in the picturesque mountain village of Arpino, Italy, where hospitality and local culture are central, and materials like wool shape the current agenda. Château du Fresne in France is a cultural venue where the surrounding region provides the ingredients to breathe new life into a historic castle. Ornamenta, in the Black Forest in Germany, deliberately transforms a series of villages into a public platform for contemporary culture. The former ENCI cement factory in Maastricht has led architecture firm Rademacher de Vries to reflect more deeply on the historically developed aesthetics of the site.
The Grand Tour transcends geographical borders by literally bringing these four distinct spaces together at Bureau Europa. When zooming out, unique landscapes and converging histories emerge, and with a focus on the periphery, the seemingly infinite diversity of European identities shaped by local culture and heritage becomes visible.
Activities
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September 2024: House Belsito (Arpino, Italy) and Bureau Europa present an exhibition, lecture, and workshop on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 September.
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October 2024: Ornamenta (Black Forest) revisited – artists and curators from the Ornamenta project showcase their work and present it during a spoken dinner. Reflections on the impact of the program on the area and its residents, with a focus on traditional crafts and the reuse of historical sites.
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26 October 2024: Tour and presentation at the ENCI site in Maastricht with architects, owners, and stakeholders.
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27 November 2024: Amis des Fresne – a presentation and spoken dinner on the reuse and future vision of a French château in Mayenne, with the owners, architects, artists, and involved developers.
More information:
https://www.zoutmagazine.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ZOUT-8-Insert-BE.pdf