chemin des écritures

In 2010, in the Provençal village of Lurs a high-quality cultural and artistic discovery trail was inaugurated. Its features, openly accessible to all, allow the visitor to discover the history of typography and Latin script.

Called « Le chemin des écritures », it includes a number of pathways and displays throughout the village which explore the history of our written word. The intention of the project is to share memory and knowledge, and to provide an opportunity for observation and meditation.
The « chemin des écritures » comprises five especially-commissioned open-air displays which are free to visit 365 days a year.
The « chemin des écritures » demonstrates the mutual commitment that has developed over the years between the Rencontres de Lure association and the village of Lurs. It also shows the village’s own links with writing, which go back to the 1950’s, when the renaissance of the village coincided with the arrival of a small but passionate graphic arts group : « l’École de Lure ».

Visitors’ Guide available from
Also available as a download here
– Pays de Fourcalquier Tourist Offices in Fourcalquier, Lurs and St-Etienne-les-Orgues.

displays and features

Births and evolutions of writing
Concept : Thierry Gouttenègre.
A galaxy of forty-two stone sculptures through which the visitor can explore the universe of writing systems and the origins of our alphabet.

Naissances et évolutions des écritures de Thierry Gouttenègre ©Nicolas Taffin, 2009

The Bookcase
Concept : Jean-Yves Quellet.
A stone bookcase, seeming to grow out of the earth in the serenity of the Lurs landscape, hosts an astonishing and diverse selection of media used as support for the written word throughout the ages.

La bibliothèque de Jean-Yves Quellet ©Nicolas Taffin, 2009

Vox’s Table
Concept : Sterenn Bourgeois.
Whilst demonstrating how block capitals in reality take a number of forms, « La table de Vox » helps the visitor to distinguish typographical features and also to recognise the family ties which link them.

La table de Vox de Sterenn Bourgeois ©Nicolas Taffin, 2009

Arthur’s Thread
Concept : Laurence Durandau.
Anyone taking a walk around the village of Lurs will soon notice a series of stone markers beneath their feet. These invite the curious to leave the beaten track in search of childhood memories of the pleasures of reading. Give it a try !

Le fil d’Arthur de Laurence Durandau ©Nicolas Taffin, 2009

Couvertines
Concept : Laurence Durandau and Franck Jalleau.
In front of La Chancellerie, where Les Rencontres de Lure all began, the visitor will find strange engraved inscriptions. These are anagrams of words commonly used by typographers. (The solutions can be found at the Tourist Office.)

Couvertines de Laurence Durandau et Franck Jalleau ©Jacques Thomas, 2010



All displays were created following a proposal put forward by les Rencontres internationales de Lure. Part of a « Land of Books and Writing » initiative by the Pole for Rural Excellence, financed and supported by the District Council of Pays de Forcalquier-Montagne de Lure, in partnership with the commune of Lurs.