“Come touch the past, taste the present, smell the future”

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Interview with Apolline, coordinator of the Alzen ecomuseum.    

Can you tell us what your role is at the ecomuseum ofAlzen ?   

I have been working here since last fall and I am the coordinator in charge of entertainment and activities.   

How long has the ecomuseum existed?    

The structure dates from the early 2000s. The part linked to tourism is the ecomuseum but we have other hats since, through an association (CASTA), we manage integration projects: maintenance of green spaces, school catering in 6 communes of Couserans, catering service in events and a peasant table open to the public in July-August within the grounds of the ecomuseum. The farm that we see today is an old mountain farm, that of Albert and Sidonie, brother and sister, former farmers who, having no direct heir, bequeathed the property of a lifetime to the commune on the condition that everything be kept in its original state. Wishes respected by the mayor of the time, André Rouch. This is how the place was named Eco (the place in Greek) - Museum of Alzen.   

Who is the place for, what can you see and do there?  

We welcome children from 0 to 99 years old! Families visit Albert and Sidonie's old house where everything is "in its original state"! The beds are made, the rooms are tidy and time seems to have stood still. The place vibrates in such a special way that you could almost believe they are still there! It's educational, it bears witness to the past and at the same time it's moving because you enter the intimacy of people you have never met. The farm part is very much alive! Cows, calves, chickens, rabbits and pigs will delight the children with always the same idea: ancient breeds that are not very common in current agriculture (Casta cow, Castillonnaise sheep, etc.). In the summer, we offer guided tours as well as a daily workshop from Monday to Friday, where young and old alike will learn how to make their own cheese, bread, chocolate or, in another style, go on a storytelling walk through the old summer pastures of Alzen.  

How would you define your identity?   

Our motto: touch the past, taste the present, smell the future. Visiting a farm from the 1900s is still very contemporary, as we show that it still works, but differently. We are anything but a museum of "the past." Of course, we highlight traditions and ancient know-how, but when you learn how to make your own cheese or bread, you are truly in the present moment. Returning to the practices of our elders fits perfectly with the times we live in, and that's what drives us here in Alzen!   

Why Ariège and Couserans as a place of work?  

I am passionate about territorial development. My training in Foix made me settle here! I am originally from Vienne and when I discovered Ariège and Couserans, I quickly knew that I would not leave: the beauty of the landscapes, unspoiled nature and the quality of life make me feel at home here! I thought I was arriving in a so-called “remote” territory but I was wrong. There are of course isolated corners, but the potential for economic, social and tourist development is such that my daily work takes on its full meaning there.