France
French culture can be traced back both to an aristocratic and bourgeois elite of chiefly Parisian origin, and to highly diverse regional traditions. This is true of architecture, language, literature, cinema, theatre, and other art forms. But at the same time, this heritage is continually blending with the fruits of a contemporary artistic inspiration that often has its sources in the country's vivacious and highly cosmopolitan inner city areas.
And as well as producing many great artists itself, France has long exercised a deep fascination over many of the world's great creative minds: painters like Dali, Picasso and Van Gogh; writers like Cortazar, Beckett and Miller; and fashion designers like Kenzo.
France has a strong attachment to its culture, which it earnestly seeks to preserve, to enrich, to nurture, and to share with the largest possible audience, in France and throughout the world.
This attachment extends to the country's superb architectural heritage, which is why hundreds of historical monuments are opened to the public on the yearly heritage day (Journee du Patrimoine), celebrated on the third weekend in September. But as with the other arts, France's appreciation of architecture is not restricted to the past; in recent years a number of major architectural projects, like the Grand Louvre and the Grande Arche de la Defense, have met with resounding popular success.
France produces more films than any other European country, and of all the European production, French films prove the most successful on the export market. Every July, there is a three-day-long nationwide cinema festival (Fete du Cinema) when all the cinemas in the country offer EUR 1,52 tickets to cinema-goers who have boughttheir first cinema ticket full price.Since 1982 there has also been a yearly music festival (Fete de la Musique) held every 21 June. This is a great opportunity for amateur musicians all over France to give concerts in cafes and public places. And many professional musicians join in the spirit of the event to give free concerts. A number of other countries in Europe and French-speaking Africa are now adopting the idea, inspired by the success of this enormously popular event in France.