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Top sites for France’s ‘Heritage Days’ 2015

France is set to open the doors to hundreds of sites of interest that are generally closed to the public for the weekend of "Heritage days". Here are our top picks.

Top sites for France's 'Heritage Days' 2015
Why not check out the Cité radieuse in Marseille? Photo: Crookesmoor/Wikimedia commons
Some 10 million people will get a chance poke around inside some of the country's most interesting sites this weekend (September 19th and 20th) as part of the annual heritage days (Journées du Patrimoine). And best of all, many of the visits are free of charge.
 
While it may be interesting to get a look at some of the popular attractions like the Senate and the Elysée Palace (the president's home), there are a string of odd and incredible sites to take in as well.
 
Here are ten fascinating places you shouldn't miss this time around. 
 
Incity Tower, Lyon, Saturday only
 
Take a sneak peek at the new Incity Tower in Lyon. Still under construction, this skyscraper already offers magnificent views of the city — and the Alps if the weather's good enough. Visits to this project with a seriously environmentally-friendly tinge are free and take place from 9am to 12pm Saturday but you'll need to pre-book. Entrance is from Rue Garibaldi. 
 

 

France Télévisions studios, Paris, Saturday and Sunday
 
France's national broadcaster is opening up its doors to the public this weekend, with visitors getting a behind the scenes look at how their studios operate. There will also be a chance to meet presenters. Visiting hours are from 9am to 7pm, but this is one of the most popular tickets in town and you'll need to be in the queue by noon to get in (18 rue du Professeur Florian-Delbarre).    
 
Pincevent archeological site
 
Under excavation since 1964, the Pincevent site is well known for its early modern human remains, such as stone artifacts. It's near the town of Montereau-Fault-Yonne, and is open to the public with three tours daily at 9.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm. Tours are limited to 20 people and you'll need to email [email protected] to book a spot.
 
French National Assembly, Paris, Saturday and Sunday
 
If you want to see where the everyday battles of French politics take place, visit the neoclassical pile that houses the French National Assembly. Here is where the country's lower house deputies take pot shots at each other from their traditional positions on the left and right sides of the house. The building is open to the public from 9am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday, and visits are free (35 quai d'Orsay, and 128 rue de l'Université).
 
 
(Photo: Richard Ying and Tangui Morlier)

Dermatological museum, Paris, Sunday only

The Hôpital Saint-Louis – Musée des Moulages Dermatologiques (Dematalogical Museum) hosts four collections of nauseatingly realistic wax casts of different types of skin diseases.

The museum, which is located on Avenue Claude-Vellefaux in Paris’s 10th arrondissement, has more than 4,800 casts. You can visit from free from 12pm to 6pm on Sunday.

Chateau de Clérans, Saturday and Sunday Dordogne
 
Here's one you might not have heard about. This historical chateau, which was built in the 11th century, boasts a real mix of medieval and new, with a dungeon, a chapel, contemporary decor, and huge gardens. 
 
There's also an art exhibition featuring the works of John Adams and Emmanuel Griefen Gatti. The chateau is the home of Joris Van Grinsven, and is only open to the public on European Heritage Days.
 

Cité radieuse, Marseille

Love him or hate him, Le Corbusier continues to be one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, and among his best-known buildings is the Cité radieuse in Marseille. Known locally as La Maison du Fada (‘the nutter’s house), this building houses 337 apartments, a hotel and a restaurant. You can visit for free this weekend (9am to 5pm) and even take a look at some of the apartments (280 boulevard Michelet).  


(Photo: Crookesmoor/Wikimedia commons)
 

Ferme Mazier, Paris, Saturday only

Take a step back in time by visiting the Ferme Mazier that used to provide Paris’s main markets with cabbage, beetroots, carrots and other vegetables.

Described as an oasis in the city, it can be found on Rue Heurtault and Rue Edgar-Quinet in Aubervilliers, in France’s outer suburbs. The only chance to visit is 11am on Saturday. Email [email protected] for more information, and to register.

For a full searchable list of the sites open to the public during France's annual heritage days, click here (in French).

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TRAVEL NEWS

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached a deal in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said.

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of 420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of 2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some 200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of 2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

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