2007 Junas, France

From July 5 to 8, 2007, the European Stone Festival took place in the southern French town of Junas, near Nîmes. The festival was organized by the Association of Southern French Quarry Owners in the Junas region (Association du Carrières de Bon Temps) and the group Des Hommes et Cailloux, who took on the challenge of realizing an ambitious dome project.

The national stone festival has been held in Junas for 20 years. Motivated by their visit to the European Stone Festival in Freiburg in June 2005, the French partners decided to bring the European Stone Festival to Junas for their 20th anniversary.

In the picturesque town of Junas, 200 stonemasons from England, Germany, France, Austria, Hungary, and South Tyrol came together to create, within 16 hours, various components that, when assembled, formed wall fountains, as well as so-called “Europe stones” on the theme “Encounters, Continents and Cultures, Globalization.” The working bases, called “bench stones,” with the stones to be carved, were placed throughout the village center.

Many interested visitors traveled even from afar to Junas that July weekend to experience this major European gathering of stonemasons. The accompanying program included a geological exhibition on the region’s stone deposits and quarrying, craft exhibitions and blacksmithing, as well as engaging show and musical performances in the old historic quarry, whose breathtaking backdrop provided a wonderful atmosphere for the evening events.