2023-09-03 18:12:00
Private places, belonging to associations, or public places, heritage will be shared everywhere and in all its forms, in Wallonia, during the next weekend. With a target audience for this 35th edition: young people.
“We wanted to raise awareness among young people because we protect what we love and what we know. In addition to the visits whose activities are geared towards them, we have also produced a heritage discovery guide for young people aged 10 to 14, as well as a collection of notebooks explaining concepts related to heritage “, explained Heritage Minister Valérie De Bue this Friday during her visit to the owners of the Beaurieux mill in Court-Saint-Étienne.
In Walloon Brabant, the mill will be one of the points of attention for visitors. This building, of which there are censuses in writings dating from 1312, has not been open to the public for Heritage Days for a long time. And for good reason, he was no longer in good condition. It was in 2002 that the Grézien, Olivier Debras, discovered its sale by happy chance.
This trained engineer then transformed his crush into a real life project. A completely atypical project in which Isabelle followed him with enthusiasm a few years later.
“When I arrived here in 2002, the miller had just slammed the door and left his jacket there. Everything was in its original condition but there were major renovations to be done. The first restoration of the watermill took place in 2004, but it was not until 2017 that the mill found its new purpose, says Olivier Debras. We decided to use water energy to produce electricity. The mechanism that was used to grind the grain to make flour has been abandoned and we have coupled a generator that can produce 34,000 kW/hour per year. This is the equivalent of the consumption of 8 to 9 average households.”
Half of this energy is directly consumed by the occupants of the premises, while the other half is reinjected into the network. A valuable gain at a time when the cost of electricity has taken on gargantuan proportions.
“The return on investment is expected in ten years”underlines the owner of this non-classified property who was therefore unable to benefit from any public funding for the restoration of his old stones.
However, the couple says they are happy to introduce interested people to this ancestral heritage. “We often welcome primary school classes, explains Isabelle Debras. It’s fascinating to see this mechanism and this huge wheel stir the water. The generator is a little too noisy as we were flooded in July 2021. It should be replaced…”
A circuit passing by this mill, the farm of Beaurieux, as well as the place called La Pierre qui tourne, has been concocted by the volunteers of the Heritage of Saint-Etienne.
Kits to make a wheel are planned to entertain the youngest, as well as stories for children.
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www.journeesdupatrimoine.be
The notebooks dedicated to children from 8 to 12 years old will be sold at the price of 2.50 € (25 pages) from September 9th.
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