On May 4, 2021, a webinar on “Digital innovation at the service of remembrance tourism” was organized by the Ministry of the Armed Forces (Directorate of Heritage, Remembrance and Archives) in collaboration with. {CORRESPONDANCES DIGITALES]. On this occasion, Geneviève Darrieussecq, Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Armed Forces, in charge of Remembrance and Veterans, announced the winners of the 2021 call for projects “Innovative digital services for remembrance tourism”. The morning was also an opportunity to highlight a variety of inspiring projects supported by this call for projects. In this article, you’ll find a replay of the webinar, a written report accompanied by visuals, and suggestions for further resources.
[This entire article and videos are also available on the Youtube channel Secrétariat général pour l’administration du ministère des Armées françaises and the Chemins de mémoire website].
Watch the videos :
- of Geneviève Darrieussecq’s speech on the role of the Ministry of the Armed Forces in innovation and the promotion of memorial heritage tourism.
- an analysis of the benefits of the “Innovative digital services for remembrance tourism” call for projects for the winning sites of previous editions, by Laure Bougon, Head of the Remembrance Tourism Unit, French Ministry of Defence.
- feedback from various projects from the 2016 and 2018 editions: Musée Guerre et Paix en Ardennes, Musée de la Résistance de Limoges, Musée Jean et Denise Letaille – Bullecourt 1917.
- presentation of 4 winning projects for 2021 submitted by the Rivesaltes Camp Memorial, the Maison européenne des sciences de l’homme et de la société in Lille (for Oradour-sur-Glane), the Fédération nationale des CAUE and the town of Champigny-sur-Marne.
1. The involvement of the Ministry of the Armed Forces in innovation and the promotion of memorial heritage tourism, by Geneviève Darrieussecq
At the opening of this morning’s event, the Minister Delegate discussed the challenges of remembrance tourism in terms of territorial dynamics, transmission and innovation.
- The territorial challenges of remembrance tourism
France is rich in a multitude and diversity of sites (museums, memorials, monuments, battlefields, necropolises, etc.) that bear witness to contemporary conflicts, marked by the actions of those who fought to defend national values, as well as victims of war or deportation .
The commemorative cycles of the Great War and the Second World War have aroused great public interest in places of remembrance, with both French and foreign visitors increasing in number. In 2019, the number of visitors to memorial sites reached 15.2 million, including 1.3 million schoolchildren and 3.4 million foreign visitors. The economic spin-offs generated by this sector are therefore essential for local areas, especially since for some, memorial sites are their only assets in attracting tourists.
- Involvement of the Ministry of the Armed Forces in the tourism of memorial heritage
Faced with the challenges of attracting tourists, the Ministry of the Armed Forces, which is in charge of a large number of memorial sites, supports the ambitions of local authorities to offer a high-quality cultural and tourist offering to the French and foreign public. Since the launch of the First World War Centenary cycle, it has provided nearly €20 million in support to 54 local authorities and associations for large-scale remembrance projects, taking into account all contemporary conflicts, as well as a balanced territorial approach.
In connection with these structuring investments, a “Quality Tourism” label specific to places of remembrance has been created by the Ministry in charge of tourism (Directorate General for Enterprise, DGE) and the Ministry of the Armed Forces as part of their 2011 partnership agreement. By the end of 2020, 47 sites of remembrance had been awarded the label.
The Ministry also provides support for enhancement projects run by partner organizations (restoration of local memorial heritage, exhibitions, remembrance trails, cultural programming), notably as part of the network of museums and memorials of contemporary conflicts (RMMCC) run by the DPMA.
While promoting this heritage is essential to the French economy, it is just as important in contributing to national cohesion and building a shared memory. Innovation in remembrance is therefore a major challenge for the Ministry of the Armed Forces, in order to increase the number of visitors to these heritage sites, enhance their appeal and ensure that the memories they bear witness to are passed on to younger generations. The “Innovative digital services for remembrance tourism” call for projects aims to contribute to these dynamics of transformation and innovation.
- Innovative digital services for remembrance tourism” call for projects
On two occasions (in 2016 and 2018), the Ministry of the Armed Forces (Directorate of Heritage, Memory and Archives) and the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, in charge of tourism (Directorate General for Business) have launched this national call for projects. In previous editions, the call for projects has already funded 16 projects to modernize the mediation and tourism of places of remembrance.
Encouraged by the interest shown in the two previous calls for digital projects, the Ministry of the Armed Forces has decided to renew a new call for projects in 2020-2021, for which it provides all the funding, in order to step up its support for the creation of innovative tourism, visitor assistance and mediation systems. Launched in October 2020, this third edition was a great success, with 46 applications received. These projects are varied in terms of :
- geographical: most regions in mainland France are represented, as well as two overseas territories;
- of portfolios: local authorities, associations, foundations, start-ups… ;
- of devices offered: immersive experience, interactive game, route application… ;
- conflicts covered: 1870 war, First World War, Second World War, Algerian war, multi-conflicts.
Given the wealth of projects submitted, the Ministry of the Armed Forces has decided to increase the initial budget from €80,000 to almost €100,000.
Following an in-depth analysis by a selection committee made up of representatives from the Ministry of the Armed Forces (Directorate of Heritage, Memory and Archives, and Delegation for Ministerial Transformation and Performance), the National Office for Veterans and Victims of War (ONAC-VG), the Directorate General for Enterprise of the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Economic Recovery, and an expert in digital innovation in the cultural sector, 8 projects were selected:
- “Memory trail in Calais, from 1939 to 1945″, produced by the town of Calais (Pas-de-Calais – Hauts-de-France), through its “Ville d’art et histoire” (City of art and history) department;
- “Une série de destins : la Grande Guerre en podcast”, created by Artips and Musée de la Grande Guerre de Meaux (Seine-et-Marne – Île-de-France);
- “Digital tourist routes to remember the 3 wars: 1870-71″, supported by the town of Champigny-sur-Marne (Val-de-Marne – Île-de-France);
- Territoires de mémoire: sur les traces des plus grands conflits du XXème siècle” (“Territories of memory: in the footsteps of the greatest conflicts of the 20th century”) is a project run by the Fédération nationale des Conseils d’architecture, d’urbanisme et de l’environnement (CAUE);
- “Le défi du soldat au Fort du Télégraphe” (The Soldier’s Challenge at the Telegraph Fort), a project run by the Communauté de Communes Maurienne Galibier (Savoie – Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes);
- “Application Ici/Avant Oradour-sur-Glane”, led by the CNRS Hauts-de-France on behalf of the Maison européenne des sciences de l’homme et de la société, in partnership with the DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the Haute-Vienne Prefecture and the Centre de la mémoire d’Oradour ;
- “Rivesaltes VR: a connected mediation at the service of a multiple memory”, supported by the public cultural cooperation establishment Mémorial du Camp de Rivesaltes (Pyrénées-Orientales – Occitanie);
- “Bobcats – Bora-Bora travel companion app”, produced by Ideal Film Prod in collaboration with the Mémoire Polynésienne association.
As in previous years, this new edition of the call for projects contributes to enhancing the value, attractiveness and tourist appeal of our memorial heritage. It also helps to consolidate the opening up and networking of sites of remembrance to their local communities.
2. A look back at the 2016 and 2018 editions of the call for projects: structuring a rich, creative and innovative ecosystem around remembrance tourism
- The “Innovative digital services for remembrance tourism” call for projects, a catalyst for innovation in remembrance tourism, by Laure Bougon (Head of the Remembrance Tourism Unit, Heritage, Memory and Archives Department, Ministry of the Armed Forces).
Dynamics generated by the “Innovative digital services for remembrance tourism” call for projects
In her introduction, Laure Bougon looks back at how the winning 2016 and 2018 projects have contributed to giving access to and reviving a memorial heritage that is often threatened or has disappeared in its various dimensions: built (memorial museums, monuments, forts, batteries, camp remains, etc.), landscape (battlefields, maquis, urban landscapes…), material (objects, archives, traces, etc.) and immaterial (testimonies).
These projects have also developed new forms of transmission through the use of technological innovations: immersive technologies, applications, information tables or kiosks, and so on. These dynamics of use have contributed to the creation of new relationships with the public, conducive to the development of new itineraries and new experiences that encourage more active appropriation through play, interaction, storytelling or contribution.
Past projects have also encouraged networking between a wide range of players (places of remembrance, local authorities, businesses, scientific and educational communities, tourism operators), with a wide range of skills. This mobilization was also an opportunity to consolidate a territorial base for places of remembrance around a project in its various phases: financing, design, communication or evaluation.
Various projects carried out as part of the 2016 and 2018 editions can testify to the wealth of contributions made by this call for projects in terms of heritage dynamics, uses and networking. This is particularly true of the “Terre de mémoire en Ardennes” and “Résistance en poche” applications, as well as the virtual reality device for the Battle of Bullecourt.
- Enhancing the value of memorial sites as part of an itinerary: the “Terre de mémoire en Ardennes” application, by Marie-France Devouge (Director of the Musée Guerre et Paix en Ardennes).
As a preamble to her speech, Marie-France Devouge reminds us of the wealth of memorial sites in the Ardennes department: some one hundred different sites (museum-memorial, fortified sites, cemeteries and necropolises), bearing witness to different conflicts (1870-1871, First and Second World Wars).
Although these sites have long been showcased, they were not networked. In 2016, the prospect of the reopening of the Musée Guerre et Paix (effective January 2018), identified as the gateway to this network, prompted the Ardennes departmental council to launch an ambitious territorial project: “Ardennes, terre de mémoire”. To materialize this ambition, a route was to be created to network the various memorial sites in the Ardennes through an innovative project. This project would affirm the positioning of the Ardennes territory and better guide the public in its discovery.
Winner of the “Innovative digital services for remembrance tourism” call for projects in 2016 (33% of the budget financed by the call for projects for a total cost of €46,000), a 2-part system was then designed for the museum’s audiences and those of the territory (local public, French and international tourists):
- an interactive map terminal in a dedicated area of the museum;
- an application available on tablet and smartphone.
Linked by their contents and functionalities, these two components have produced a leaflet (historical presentation, description and visuals) for each site (63 sites referenced), accompanied by urban itineraries and games. Since its launch, the application has been downloaded more than 1,000 times, and the terminal is regularly consulted by the 25,000 or so visitors to the museum every year.
To bring this project to fruition, numerous partners were mobilized. Networking was particularly essential to unite them around a theme that would provide structure to the region. A scientific committee guaranteed the quality of the content produced. Tourist development agencies and tourist offices were mobilized to promote the project.
This first project brought together the various Ardennes memorial sites on a broader territorial scale: that of the Région Grand Est. As such, remembrance tourism is included in one of the 6 thematic sectors of the Region’s tourism development plan for 2018-2023. This sector is animated by the organization of Rencontres and the Club croissance tourisme Grand Est to reflect on regional tourism development.
The “Terre de mémoire en Ardennes” application is a particularly unifying project for the region’s various sites. Other challenges may lead to the desire to develop a digital project, such as offering new forms of mediation for young audiences. This is the ambition of the “Résistance en poche” application at the Musée de la Résistance in Limoges.
- Addressing young audiences: the “Résistance en poche” application, by Annie Martin (Director of the Musée de la Résistance de Limoges).
In her speech, Annie Martin recalls that the Musée de la Résistance de Limoges opened in 2012. 6 years after this opening, the museum teams wanted to design a mediation path dedicated to young audiences (children aged 8-12), more adapted to their digital and visiting practices in order to facilitate understanding of the texts present in the permanent path. The museum team therefore applied for the 2018 edition of the “Innovative digital services for remembrance tourism” call for projects.
Winner of the call for projects (50% funded by the call for projects, i.e. €12,000), an application was designed in 6 months with the help of a local agency, OD&B. To adapt to the digital and visiting habits of the museum’s young visitors, this application was created in close collaboration with the children of colleagues and designers. Following this design work, the application was launched on June 18, 2019. It then underwent a test session with a CM2 class, a presentation to the municipal youth council before receiving a rather favorable response in the local press.
Downloadable on IOS or Android or available free of charge on tablet from the museum reception desk, the application provides access to a 1-hour tour of 10 sequences in the museum, punctuated by games, questions and answers. In this game, 3 personalized itineraries for 3 children (Alice, Jean and Roger) allow them to explore the museum’s collections through their own eyes.
Between June 2019 and March 2020, around 1,000 downloads were recorded. The majority of children complete the course on their own, and are thus introduced to a number of concepts that they will later revisit at school.
The desire to take a fresh look at a site’s memorial heritage can take the form of an itinerary, following the example of “Résistance en poche”. It can also take the form of a more experiential project. This is what the Musée Jean et Denise Letaille – Bullecourt 1917 wanted to develop with the virtual reality system developed around the Bullecourt battlefield.
- Enhancing the history of the site where the museum is located: the virtual reality feature of the Bullecourt battlefield, by Aurélie Le Cadet (cultural mediator at the Musée Jean et Denise Letaille).
Aurélie Le Cadet begins by explaining the geographical location of the Musée Jean et Denise Letaille – Bullecourt 1917. Located 15 kilometers southeast of Arras, the museum is set in an area strongly marked by the First World War, in particular the Battle of Arras (April/May 1917). Opened in 2012, the museum, located on the site of the battle, features battlefield relics, objects, old documents, soldier’s itineraries and an abundance of written material. However, of the 4,000 visitors to the museum every year, many didn’t seem to read all the texts, and few used the devices available to them (audioguides).
Armed with these observations, the museum therefore applied with the services of the Communauté de Communes du Sud Artois for the 2018 edition of the call for projects “Innovative digital services for remembrance tourism” in order to improve audiences’ understanding of the battle. With this ambition in mind, and given the space that could be allocated for this device, it was decided to develop a virtual reality project accessible via individual headsets.
Winner of the call for projects (€36,000, 50% of which was funded by the call for projects), a virtual reality headset was designed and set up in February 2020 in close collaboration with Australian partners (the Sir John Monash Centre in Villers-Bretonneux and the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on the scientific side) and the start-up Reality (on the technical side). The project also drew on the expertise of our mediators in scripting content (validated by an Australian historian) and the digital services of the Communauté de Communes. Such a project has enabled numerous public/private and international synergies to be forged. Different skills were also revealed (such as those of mediators) and mobilized.
The virtual experience allows you to discover the battlefield from the air and in immersion. A series of stop-overs allows visitors to discover visuals from the collections of Australian museums, giving them a better understanding of the topography of the battlefield and the constraints faced by Australian forces in 1917. A format like this encourages the transmission of immersion, sensation and experience of what happened on the site.
Accessible to visitors aged 9 and over, the program has received excellent feedback from visitors, but the successive closures of the museum due to the health crisis have prevented it from being deployed more intensively for the time being.
The various feedbacks from previous editions of the call for projects have enabled us to share the richness and diversity of possible transmission formats (games, multi-site itineraries, dedicated experiences) and the way in which a wide variety of structures have networked a plurality of skills and players to design, finance or communicate their projects. These different projects have been catalysts for the launch of other (sometimes non-digital) projects. This diversity of approaches is also reflected in the 2021 winners.
3. The 2021 edition of the call for projects: a wealth of formats and approaches still at work
Among the 8 winners of the 2021 edition, some particularly varied projects addressed other issues linked to the preservation and enhancement of memorial heritage, and to the creation of new formats and new forms of sharing and networking. In particular, these were shared with the Rivesaltes Camp Memorial, the Oradour-sur-Glane project leader, the Fédération nationale des CAUE and the town of Champigny-sur-Marne.
- Immerse yourself in the multiple memories of a place: “Rivesaltes VR”, by Marion Decome (scientific director of the Rivesaltes Camp Memorial) and Janaïne Golonka (Jaïka).
Marion Decome begins her speech by highlighting the various constraints faced by the Camp de Rivesaltes Memorial in its efforts to make the site easier to understand for visitors. The camp covers almost 612 hectares, and the memorial 42 hectares. The geographical scale of the site must therefore be made visible. The memorial is also confronted with different memories due to the different functions of Camp Joffre when it was in operation between 1941 and 2007: prison camp, internment camp, administrative detention center used during the Spanish War, the Second World War or during the decolonizations. Finally, the barracks on the site are rapidly deteriorating. This makes it particularly difficult to imagine the living conditions of the people who were detained there.
The Mémorial du Camp de Rivesaltes has therefore applied for the 2021 edition of the call for projects to propose the creation of a virtual reality device aimed at young audiences: schoolchildren aged between 11 and 15, young people from the Protection judiciaire de la jeunesse (Youth Judicial Protection) and from the surrounding social centers. The aim of this project is to encourage emotional entry and a more vivid, palpable memory, while enhancing the value of the museum’s photographic collections and objects. It will be closely linked with the other forms of mediation present on the site, offering immersion sequences with the virtual reality headset and exchange sequences with the mediators present on site.
With this project, the memorial wishes to involve young people in the design of this device. A hackathon is therefore planned to define the desired experience in conjunction with these young people, the memorial’s teams, the service provider (Jaïka) and the project’s IT specialists.
In addition to a series of local partnerships forged during the project (with schools and social centers, for example), “Rivesaltes VR” could also be an opportunity to forge links with other internment sites in France and abroad.
Intended to encourage a richer interpretation of the site than that which could be carried out independently by visitors to the site, this project seems, in some respects, rather similar to that envisaged at Oradour-sur-Glane.
- Promoting interpretation of a memorial site: “Application Ici/Avant Oradour-sur-Glane”, by Stéphane Michonneau (Maison européenne des sciences de l’homme et de la société – Lille).
In his speech, Stéphane Michonneau highlights the diversity of players involved in preserving and promoting the martyred village of Oradour-sur-Glane. Classified as a historic monument since 1946, the site is managed by the DRAC (French Ministry of Culture), the cemetery and ossuary by the commune, and the remembrance center by the Conseil départemental de la Haute-Vienne. This administrative complexity calls for a unifying project to better support the site’s 300,000 visitors (including 50,000 schoolchildren and international visitors) and avoid misunderstandings, clichés and even denialist gestures.
A project led by Lille’s Maison européenne des sciences de l’homme et de la société (MESH) has therefore been defined to make the Oradour site (16 hectares) more intelligible through informational content (commentaries, testimonials, historical documents, etc.), while preserving necessary moments of silence and contemplation. The application will go back over what happened on June 10, 1944, suggest ways of understanding the history of Oradour’s memory and evoke the meaning of these ruins (why preserve them and what to do with this heritage?).
There will be 3 routes to choose from:
- a first short circuit (1h30 on the history of the massacre),
- a second tour (2h30) on the subject of memories of Oradour, the memorial and ossuary, the new town, reconstruction and life after the massacre),
- a third walking circuit between Oradour and its hamlets (3h30 to present the history of Oradour in its territory).
The preservation of conditions conducive to contemplation therefore had to be particularly taken into account in this project: no signage on the site, no disruptive sound, no individual smartphone use to avoid inappropriate behavior.
A wide range of partners were mobilized to create this application. A scientific committee made up of geographers, museologists, a psychologist-ergonomist, players in charge of preserving and promoting the site (DRAC, families of the victims of Oradour-sur-Glane) and the technological partner (Devocité) were brought together to apply for the call for projects issued by the DPMA.
The documents have already been selected. An alpha version will then be proposed in September 2021 for testing in the autumn, followed by a final version in spring 2022 before the launch to the general public. A study of the public (interviews and questionnaires) will be carried out beforehand (to get to know the Oradour public better), during the project and to monitor the impact of the digital tool on the perception of the site’s history and memory (after the launch in spring 2022).
In connection with this project, networking with other sites in the Limousin region could be envisaged, such as the Musée de la Résistance in Limoges, the reconstruction heritage networks or Tulle…
While the winning projects for the 2021 edition have a strong territorial base, many of them also have national or even international ambitions. Such is the case of the “Archistoire” project, led by the Fédération nationale des CAUE.
- Better interpreting territorial memories: “On the trail of 20th-century conflicts”, by Valérie Charollais (Director, FNCAUE) and Grégoire Chailleux (CEO, agence 9B+).
Valérie Charollais begins her speech with a brief presentation presentation of the national network of Conseils d’architecture, d’urbanisme et de l’environnement (CAUE). Present in every département, the CAUEs are tasked with informing, training, advising and raising awareness among elected representatives, the State, regional planning professionals, schoolchildren, teachers and the general public.
As part of its mission to disseminate cultural information, the FNCAUE wanted to create a shared national application to be used by CAUEs with all their partners (tourism, architecture, urban planning, landscape…). To bring this project to fruition, the FNCAUE approached start-up 9B+, which had already developed the ” Archistoire “We have also joined forces with the CAUE du Var to propose two pilot projects for memorial trails, in conjunction with the CAUE de l’Isère (a trail around 8 World War II memorial sites in Grenoble) and the CAUE de la Meurthe-et-Moselle (a trail around 13 World War I memorial sites).
For these sites, the “Archistoire” application will operate on the principle of hybrid reality (virtual and augmented), providing highly scenic points of interaction. It will facilitate the creation of educational content, providing a gateway to the region.
Each CAUE will be responsible for its own communications, relayed by its partners and the federation’s national network.
Archistoire’s commitment to interpreting urban landscapes is also reflected in the ambitions of the city of Champigny-sur-Marne.
- Discovering the various contemporary conflicts: “Digital tourist routes in memory of the 3 wars”, by Laurent Jeanne (Mayor) and Chloé Chotard (Archives and Documentation Manager) – City of Champigny-sur-Marne
To open the presentation of this project, the mayor of Champigny-sur-Marne recalled the project’s international ambitions and the way in which it ties in with the Musée de la Résistance nationale (MRN) and the city’s tourism initiatives. He also recalls the desire to evoke the memorial impact of contemporary conflicts (the 1870-71 war, the First and Second World Wars) on the commune, by means of itineraries accessible via an application.
Chloé Chotard then presents the digital itineraries envisaged in the form of a digital application downloadable from stores and on tablet (on loan) for a 360° immersive experience (in groups or individually). It will cover 10 points of interest for each of the routes planned in the commune. These routes have been defined in close collaboration with the Champigny Historical Society.
The first tour will focus on the 1870 war. It will enable visitors to discover the Franco-German ossuary, the battlefield and to immerse themselves in events where little or nothing remains, to revive memories and give a sensory dimension, but also to attract young visitors. The application will integrate audio content, text, archives and podcasts, with tours of different lengths to suit different visitor profiles. It will be available in English and German. Tours of the First and Second World Wars (in collaboration with the Musée de la Résistance nationale) will be developed at a later date.
These different routes will provide an opportunity to coordinate the various cultural sites in the area, as well as to develop partnerships with neighboring towns (including cultural facilities such as the Musée de la Grande Guerre in Meaux), and twinning arrangements with Portugal and Germany.
Other routes will follow, focusing on the town’s natural and architectural heritage.
These different examples illustrate the forms of transmission that can be envisaged to contribute to the preservation, enhancement and tourism of the memorial heritage of these different sites. Each of these projects offers a variety of approaches to mobilizing a range of other players in the design, communication, evaluation and financing phases. However, most of these projects help to structure a common discourse and can open the way to the development of more mutualized and networked approaches. To develop these approaches, places of remembrance can count on the support of the DPMA, and in particular the network of museums and memorials of contemporary conflicts that it coordinates.
