Duration:
Afternoon | approx. 4,5 hours
Walking grade:
Level 2: The excursion by bus is followed by a moderate walking tour. You may need to climb some stairs.
Description:
West of Paris, surrounded by a beautiful green setting, the Château de Malmaison invites you into the intimate life of Josephine de Beauharnais, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. The “small” mansion that Josephine purchased in 1797 was just a run-down estate in desperate need of care and devotion when she set her eyes on it while her husband Napoleon was off fighting in Egypt. And that is precisely what Josephine brought to the property, transforming it into a “source of riches for all of France”. Napoleon Bonaparte took there many major decisions for France from 1800 to 1802. Josephine continued to live in the Château of Malmaison even after her divorce and did not cease to develop it until her death, turning the rooms and park into a real gem of the First Empire period.
Your Guide will lead you in the discovery of their daily life during the consulate and First Empire. Discover the music room and the council room shaped like a military tent where receptions, dances and country-style games took place. You will also visit Josephine’s bedroom where she died in 1814, passing through the Marengo room and its weapons that belonged to Napoleon.
Enjoy some free time in Josephine’s cherished gardens. She cultivated a nostalgia for the luxurious island of her childhood. Upon her arrival at the Château de Malmaison, she wanted to replicate the landscape of her native land Martinique with its rich flowers and birds. She called upon Europe’s best gardeners and soon bundles of flowers arrived from all over the continent. Daffodils, hyacinths, camellias and tulips still flourish in her garden. The property achieved enduring fame for its rose garden,where Josephine grew all varieties of roses known at the time.
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