In the project Leonardo Agropuzzle, students and teachers from secondary schools from Opava (Czech Republic), Komorno (Poland), Levice (Slovakia) and Preveza (Greece) visited the Secondary School of Agriculture in Auch, France. The meeting took place between 21 and 25 November. Our organization Natura Opava was particularly interested in the countryside of the Midi-Pyrénées, agricultural management, farming, system of nature conservation Natura 2000 and the centre of permaculture, which represents an example of permanently maintainable development.

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Project schedule mobility in Francii

Monday 21/11/2011

11:00 - 12:00 : Visit of the farm school: cattle and direct sale

13:30: Visit of la Hourre, organic crops and program developed in common by the School and CREAB + role of CREAB, Research Center in Organic Farming

15h30: Label Ville d´art et d´histoire (town of art and history label)

with Marie-Sabrina Bonnaffé (heritage development coordinator for Grand Auch Community)

16:30: Visit of Auch (Cathedral and Unesco heritage) Southern Road of Santiago de Compostella http://www.auch-tourisme.com/uk/index.asp

+ Town Hall and Italian Theater

Tuesday 22/11/2011

9:00-10:00: Biran´s retable, heritage development outside Unesco sites and typical village.

http://village-de-biran.blogetsite.com/le-retable-de-biran-un-chef-doeuvre-de-lart-baroque-du-17e-siecle/

11:00 - 14:30 : Château de Mons, vine yard and sustainable development

15:00 - 16:00 : La Romieu, the Collegiate Church, Unesco site Northern Roads of Santiago de Compostella

http://uk.la-romieu.com/collegialemonument.htm

16:30: Condoms Cathedral, on Unesco Northern Santiago´s road

Wednesday 23/11/2011

9:00 - 12:00 CPIE (Permanent Center for Preservation and Initiation to Environment) and Natura 2000 / Centre Permanent d'Initiatives pour l'Environnement CPIE Pays Gersois http://www.cpie32.org/

presentation of Natura 2000 and protected species, walk in protected zones

13:30 - 18:00: Toulouse: walk along Canal du Midi, Unesco heritage then free time sightseeing in the City

Thursday 24/11/2011

8:30-9:15: town street market and local farm products

9:30 - 12:00 : La Ferme en Cotton, organic farm http://lafermeencoton.free.fr/

14:00 - 16:30: Association Permaculture Les Portes Neuves http://permaculturelpn.free.fr/

Friday 25/11/2011

9:00 - 12:00 :Group work in computer lab in Lavacant: common proceedings about advertisement evaluation of agribusiness during the week (comments + pictures selection)

14:00-15:30 : Château de Lavardens 32360 LAVARDENS http://chateaulavardens.com/

Visit of the castle + exhibition of Christmas´ crib figures

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Rreport from the visit to France in the project

Leonardo Agropuzzle - Monday 21/11/2011

The meeting took place between 21 and 25 November 2011 and it was organized by the Secondary School of Agriculture which is also involved in the project Leonardo Agropuzzle. We spent the first day at school in Lavacant and Beaulieu. Then we visited a research institute for organic farming in La Hourre. In the city, we visited the Jacobean museum and one of the UNESCO Heritage sites, Auch Cathedral, which is situated on the route to Santiago de Compostella. In the townhall we met the representatives of Auch and then we went to see the Italian theatre.

The photo reportage from Monday 21/11/2011

The visit to the school in Lavacant

The school Beaulieu and its farm

The research institute for organic farming in La Hourre

Jacobean museum in Auch

The visit to Auch with the UNESCO cathedral on the route to Santiago de Compostella

The meeting in the townhall in Auch and the visit to the Italian theatre

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auch

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A report from the visit to France in the project

Leonardo Agropuzzle - Tuesday 22/11/2011

The second day of our stay was dedicated to the visit of the typical village Biran, which belongs among UNESCO Heritage sites and the Castle of Mons. Besides, we visited a church  in La Romieu and a cathedral in Condom. Both places are situated on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella.

The visit to the typical village Biran

The visit to the Castle of Mons

The church St. Pierre in La Romieu on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella

The city of Condom with the cathedral on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_La_Tour_de_Mons

http://uk.la-romieu.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Romieu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condom,_Gers

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A report from the visit to France in the project

Leonardo Agropuzzle - Wednesday 23/11/2011

We visited the conservation area Resérvoir du Lizet which is involved in Natura 2000. The field trip was well-prepared and organized by French young ecologists. Afterwards, we went to see a water canal (Canal du Midi) in Toulouse.

The school and the school canteen in Beaulieu

The visit to conservation area Natura 2000 Réservoir du Lizet

A trip to the water canal (Canal du Midi) UNESCO in Toulouse. Canal du Midi is 240 km long, it is situated between Toulouse and Sete in France and it was built between 1666-1682. The idea of joining the Atlantic ocean with the Mediterranean sea in order to avoid the journey across the Strait of Gibraltar has its origins in ancient times and revived in the 16th century. Nowadays, this unique construction is a popular landmark for tourists. In 1996, Canal du Midi was included in the list of UNESCO Heritage Sites.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canal_du_Midi

http://www.cpie32.org/

. A report from the visit to France in the project

Leonardo Agropuzzle - Thursday 24/11/2011

The next day we went to the city market, where we could find various kinds of fruit and vegetables, sea fish, prawns and other seafood. Then we visited a farm in Cotton which is focused on pigs and poultry breeding. Moreover, the farm offers interesting environmental programs for children. The highlight of the day was the visit to the centre of permaculture in Les Portes Neuves. The owners of the centre, an English couple, explained us how to live in accordance with the idea of permanently maintainable development. We found out that the permaculture represents an innovative approach to the agriculture, nature and environment. It is a way to avoid excessive exploitation of natural resources. It is a possibility to maintain the way of life permanently. It is important to realize that the nature sets certain boundaries which cannot be crossed.

The city market in Auch

The visit to the farm in Cotton

The visit to the centre of permaculture Les Portes Neuves

Links:

http://lafermeencoton.free.fr/

http://permaculturelpn.free.fr/

http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permakultura

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture

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A report from the visit to France in the project

Leonardo Agropuzzle - Friday 25/11/2011

The meeting of all the participants was organized in order to discuss and evaluate the program which was really interesting and enriching for all of us. The last point of the program included the visit to the castle in Lavardens, where we were introduced to the history of the castle and we could admire a Nativity scene.

The visit to the castle in Lavardens with Christmas decorations

Links:

http://chateaulavardens.com/

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Paříž - Eifelovka, Louvre, Notre Dame, Moulin Rouge ...

The meeting of students and teachers, who are  involved in the program Leonardo Agropuzzle, took place between 21 and 25 November 2011 and it was organized by the Secondary School of Agriculture from Auch. We had a possibility to see not only a school in Lavacant where we stayed during our stay, but also a very nice school in Beaulieu. We could see farming methods in the school farm and other private farms. We visited a conservation area Natura 2000 Resérvoir du Lizet and a centre of permaculture in Les Portes Neuves. Our organization Natura Opava was particularly interested in the countryside of the Midi-Pyrénées, agricultural management, farming, system of nature conservation Natura 2000 and centre of permaculture, which represents an example of the permanently maintainable development. We admired UNESCO Heritage Sites and we did not forget to visit Paris. The project involves students and teachers from secondary schools of agriculture from Opava (Czech Republic), Komorno (Poland), Levice (Slovakia), Preveza (Greece) and non-profitable organization Natura Opava. The last meeting of the participants in the project will be held in 2012 and it will be organized by the secondary school from Komorno. We are looking forward to it.

The Eiffel Tower - is a lattice tower which stands over 300 metres tall. Built in 1889 by a French engineer Eiffel for the World Exhibition in Paris, it represented a wonder of contemporary technological progress. In fact, it was the highest construction in the world until 1931.

Louvre Museum - was built as a fortress by Philip II. In 1546, Francis I. converted the building into a residence which was reconstructed a few times during the 16th and 19th century. Various royal collections, which represent a development of ancient and European art, are displayed there. In 1793, the museum became a national property.

Notre Dame - is a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral. It was built on the eastern half of the island Île de la Cité in Paris. The construction began in 1163 and it was completed in 1345. The  building rises 69 metres tall and it is considered a masterpiece of European medieval architecture.

Arc de Triomphe - is a monument built by Napoleon Bonaparte, situated at the end of Champs-Elysées. The construction was completed in 1836. The monument was built as a commemoration of Napoleon´s victory in the Battle of Austerlitz.

Musée d´Orsay - is situated on the left bank of the Seine. The collection comprises French art dating from 1848-1914, including impressionism. The building was originally a railway station. The museum was opened in 1986 by the French president Francois Miterrand. The exposition includes masterpieces by well-known painters such as Vincent van Gogh Claude Monet, Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas,Toulous-Lautrek, Paul Gauguin, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Gustave Courbet, etc.

The Pantheon - is a building situated in the Latin Quarter in Paris. It is a burial place of many significant French artists, philosophers and scientists, such as Alexandre Dumas, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Pierre Curie and Maria Curie-Skłodowska.

Other buildings we could admire during our stay in Paris.

The streets of Paris have a specific atmosphere at any time of a day.

The people from Paris have the same worries and joys as people from any other European city.

Photography: Jakub Kubačka