A group of residents from the municipalities of Les Adrets, Hurtières, and Theys have come together with the desire to launch an initiative that would preserve the heritage of old mid-mountain barns and stimulate a new civic dynamic in the Belledonne massif.

The Belledonne massif runs along the Grenoble/Chambéry axis and overlooks the Grésivaudan valley. The project area is concentrated around two small municipalities, Les Adrets and Hurtières, on the Crêt de Chazay site. The towns have a strong agricultural tradition, with typical terraced mountain landscapes. Dotted with numerous barns, ranging from ruins to restored buildings, this site is as much a symbol of the decline of livestock farming as it is of the development of forestry.

The process of barn ruinification, already well underway for some, has prompted a reaction from residents who want to think about new uses to give meaning to this rural heritage in a local context marked by social and cultural divisions and the need for intergenerational ties. Care will be taken to ensure that the narrative, the sensitive and artistic approach, is embedded in history as well as in the imagination, and to avoid any risk of “heritagization” or “folklorization.” Connecting heritage to contemporary issues is important to group of commissioners.