Abu Dhabi to restore France's Chateau de Fontainebleau

Under directives from President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and instructions by General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage Authority (ADCH) and Chairman Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) signed here yesterday an agreement to restore and rehabilitate the famous Chateau de Fontainebleau whereby the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi shall finance the restoration and rehabilitation works of the historic palace with a total value of 10 million euros.

Present at the signing ceremony was Zaki Nusaibah Deputy Chairman of ADCHA, Mubarak Hamad al-Muhairi Director General of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and UAE Ambassador to France Saif Sultan al-Ariani.

Also present were member of the French Parliament Didier Julia, Mayor of Fontainebleau Fredrick Valitou , Director of Museums Francine Mariani-Ducray and curator of Le Chateau de Fontaine Bernard Notari and representatives of Arab and international media.

According to the agreement, the Napoleon III Theatre shall be renamed to Sheikha Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan Theatre in appreciation of Sheikh Khalifa's generous initiatives and his leading contributions and support to culture.

A plaque bearing the name of Sheikh Khalifa was unveiled after the ceremony.

"The initiative of President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to restore the historic premises of the palace is his gift to France in recognition of the cultural and enlightenment roles it plays across the world and in the Middle East in Particular", Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun said.

"This agreement is proof to the deep-rooted cultural and tourism relations between the UAE and France. We consider it as an additional pillar of out bilateral relations. This agreement will open new horizons for cultural, tourism and scientific cooperation", he added.

He said the French-UAE cultural interaction is manifested through the mutual UAE and French participations in cultural and heritage events. France played a significant role in excavations which unveiled the ancient history of Abu Dhabi emirate which dates back to 300 BC.

Chateau de Fontainebleau is not only one of the landmarks of French historic heritage, rather it is a universal human legacy that has to be preserved", remarked Zaki Nusaibah.

"Sheikh Khalifa's initiative is part of a long history of cooperation between France and the UAE and is set to be followed by other cultural partnership", he added.

In a speech ahead of the signing ceremony, French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu said the agreement adds a significant dimension to the cultural relations between the two countries along with the recently signed agreements for setting up a Sorbonne University campus in Abu Dhabi and exhibiting the Louvre museum's artifacts in Saadiyat Island.

Donnedieu expressed deep gratitude to President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his interest and generous patronization of efforts to preserve the French heritage.

He said Chateau de Fontainebleau has a significant position in the French heritage due to its unique architecture, decorations and invaluable artifacts.

Through having the agreement signed in what is knows as the Governance Hall, we try to express our thanks to this generous patronization and significant support as well as our appreciation of this blessed step cultural cooperation between our two friendly countries.

"Chateau de Fontainebleau, and in particular the theatre to be named after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, will restore its significant status in France's history through this support and consequently boost tourism after finishing restoration works", he stressed.

"Phases of the restoration plan for Chateau de Fontainebleau to begin at Napoleon III Theatre will be set in coordination with participating companies", he added.

"This current cultural cooperation is proof to the approach the two counties adopt in further boosting cooperation and peaceful rapprochement among the world's cultures and civilizations", Donnedieu concluded.

The Royal Chateau of Fontainebleau is the largest of the French royal chateaux. The chateau as it is today is the work of many French monarchs, building on a structure of Francis I. The building is ranged round a series of courts.

The city of Fontainebleau has grown up around the remainder of the Forest of Fontainebleau, a former royal hunting park.

A classified UNESCO World Heritage Site, Fontainebleau which hosts 1530 invaluable artifacts and rare furniture was home to 34 French monarchs and emperors. There, Napoleon bade farewell to his Old Guard and went into exile in 1814. With modifications of the chateau's structure, including the cobblestone entrance wide enough for his carriage, Napoleon helped make the chateau the place that visitors see today. Fontainebleau was the setting of the Second Empire court of his nephew Napoleon III.

Today part of the chateau is home to the Ecoles d'Art Americaines, a school of art, architecture, and music for students from the United States.