Découvrez la Picardie comme vous ne l'avez jamais vue !

"PICARDY BETWEEN LAND AND SEA" / For this new installment of the "Passion for Heritage" collection, we set off to discover Picardy. In the heart of three departments—Oise, Aisne, and Somme—passionate individuals are fighting to protect and promote exceptional heritage sites. Between Île-de-France and Flanders, this region holds natural treasures and impressive monuments. Picardy is a land of cathedrals, with its six Gothic buildings that tell the story of the unique competition between the bishoprics to build the most magnificent monument. Driven by his passion, Christophe Ugé has created a route to discover each of these architectural treasures. From Noyon to Senlis, from Laon to Amiens, and all the way to Beauvais, where the damaged cathedral reveals the limits reached by the builders. An unfinished building that nevertheless houses a jewel of 19th-century mechanics: a fifteen-meter-high astronomical clock. A master watchmaker, Jean-Paul Crabe, and the church caretaker look after the 90,000 parts that power around a hundred wooden statuettes. Picardy is a maritime region. Its coastline stretches for nearly 70 kilometers, with its high cliffs and vast sandy beaches. It is home to one of the most beautiful bays in the world, the Bay of Somme. For its kilometers of marshes and salt meadows, it has received the prestigious "Grand Site de France" label. In its northern part, the Marquenterre Ornithological Park welcomes migratory birds from all over Europe. Its director, Philippe Caruette, trains young naturalists in the protection of wading birds, and more specifically, storks. Several times a year, amidst the sandbanks that close off the mouth of the Somme, two volunteers watch over a colony of 300 wild seals. Philippe Thierry and John de Boer know all the tricks for approaching them without frightening them. At the southernmost tip of the Picardy coast, marking the border with Normandy, lies one of the prettiest seaside resorts in the Manche department: Mers-les-Bains. Magnificently preserved, it offers an exceptional example of Belle Époque architecture. One man who knows the villas well, with their bow windows and neo-Gothic or classical facades, is Nicolas Andrieu. He is the caretaker and oversees the upkeep of about ten houses along the seafront. In Picardy, the tranquil landscapes reveal buildings that tell the rich history of the region. Near the Bresle Valley, the fortified castle of Rambures, built in the 14th century, has belonged to the same family for 600 years. This square-plan fortress, built of brick, withstood English invaders and Burgundian attackers. Aurélien Riès, its caretaker, knows all its secrets. Between the Vermondois and Thiérache regions, on a bend of the Oise River, a unique monument symbolizes Picardy's industrial history: the Familistère of Guise. This workers' palace, the product of industrialist Jean-Baptiste Godin's utopian vision, housed the families of all the employees of the cast-iron stove factory until 1968. The daughter and granddaughter of factory workers, Monique Bronchain was born in the Familistère and today she guides visitors through this temple of 19th-century ideas. Here, the first nurseries and schools in France for working-class children were established. At the Margny-lès-Compiègne airfield, the "Flying Machines Circle" association is reviving the memory of Picardy's aviation pioneers with aircraft designed between 1920 and 1940. After nine years of effort, Frédéric and Alexandre Collinot have finished restoring a unique aircraft, a 1929 Morane, which is currently being considered for listing as a historical monument. For the first time in 40 years, the Morane will take to the skies. To conclude this journey, Frédéric is taking the association's newest member to discover Picardy from the air, aboard a biplane. The route includes the Royal Palace of Compiègne, the clearing of the 1918 Armistice, the fortified castle of Pierrefonds rebuilt by Viollet-le-Duc, and the ruins of Ourscamp Abbey. They are architects, stage managers, farmers, naturalists, or retirees. They all share a passion: Picardy, this region between land and sea. #documentary #society #report First broadcast: December 11, 2013 A report by Dominique Lenglart 🟢 Subscribe to 100% Docs    / @100docs   🟢 Produced by CAPA: https://www.capatv.com/ 🟢 Welcome to 100% Docs, THE channel for all kinds of documentaries that opens a window onto the world around us. Immersive reports, striking images: your daily dose of curiosity. Immersive and impactful investigations in France and around the world.