Culture and heritage valorization join the municipal race in Falaise, in Calvados. Three candidates are vying for the mayorship: Hervé Maunoury, the incumbent mayor, Clara Dewaële, leader of the current opposition, and Michel Langevin for Lutte ouvrière. In Falaise, culture takes center stage in the municipal campaign. As the March 15 and 22 elections approach, heritage and cultural facilities divide the candidates. Three lists are contending to lead the city. The incumbent mayor, Hervé Maunoury, faces Clara Dewaële, who fell short by only 65 votes in 2020. And Michel Langevin, candidate for Lutte ouvrière, also a candidate in 2020.
A Cinema that Sparks Debate Following the 2020 municipal elections, an expansion project for the cinema was in the works. Currently, there is only one screen in this cinema, with a second one planned. But the incumbent mayor, Hervé Maunoury, envisions something different for the next term: “a new location to create a new cinema with 3 screens.” A project costing around 3.5 million euros.
He aims to reassure, stating, “the cinema will remain in the city center.” A decision justified by him to prevent the closure of this local cinema. “If you are unable to offer enough showtimes, you won’t get big movies,” leading to a decline in audience. “We regularly turn away audiences for major films. So yes, there is enough audience,” he added.
However, for Clara Dewaële, his main opponent, it is an unjustified investment: “Two screens would suffice for a town like Falaise.”
Heritage Valorization in the Spotlight If elected, the current opposition leader in the city council would like to focus on the Parc de la Fresnaye and its castle, located just steps away from the city center. “What we want to do is revamp the entire Marescot valley, which is underutilized, and create a flowery park. As for the castle, the goal is to turn it into an associative space.” She emphasized that the aim is not just to valorize “old stones” but also to make this heritage lively.
On his part, Hervé Maunoury believes this project would be too costly, and maintenance would be too significant. He noted that the valley in question is “in a natural area, in the zone of the Architect of the Buildings of France, it may be complicated.”
He wants to focus on the William the Conqueror Castle by proposing a specific rate for Falaise residents and enhancing the entertainment offer at the castle. “The idea is to valorize it and open it to the people of Falaise.” He also wants to continue the renovation of the city’s churches, starting with La Trinité, which is next in line after the town hall.
For Michel Langevin, a Lutte ouvrière candidate, heritage is not the top priority: “Every 6 years, we hear about heritage, the preservation of this, the embellishment of that. The priorities for workers are that they need a decent wage.”
Now it is up to the residents of Falaise to decide, on March 15 and 22, what place they want to give to culture and heritage in the years to come.
