Paris seeks UNESCO heritage status for its zinc roofers

Sub: History

Sec: Art and Culture

Context:

The French Culture Ministry has chosen the zinc roofers as the country’s entry for the UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The Zinc roofs of Paris:

Grey zinc roofs are a special feature of the Parisian Architecture.
Paris has 1,28,000 roofs covering a surface area of 32 million square metres, of which 4 million are of the traditional zinc-covered variety.
The zinc covering has given the French capital’s skyline a distinctive grey hue.

Background:

Zinc rooftops were largely installed across Paris during the city’s massive renovation during the 1800s under city planner Baron Haussmann.
He chose zinc as it was cheap, light, water repellent, and easy to install.

Who are Zinc roofers?

Zinc roofers are the workers who create and care for the zinc roofs of Paris.
They have been chosen as the country’s entry for the UNESCO’s list by the French government.

UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage:

The list covers intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate diversity of cultural heritage and raise awareness about its importance.
There are 15 items from India in the list, Garba dance being the latest addition.
This list is published by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Its members are elected by State parties meeting in the United Nations General Assembly.
The 19th session of the committee will be held in Asuncion, Paraguay in December 2024.