Château de Malmaison

Château de Malmaison

Today we visit Château de Malmaison that was acquired by Joséphine De Beauharnais in 1799 It also became the informal seat of government alongside Tuileries The Salle de Billiards, once a gentleman’s diversion The salon Doré resplendent in gilt, echoes with whispers of diplomacy Music filled these rooms, especially in the salon de musique where Josephine, a gifted hostess entertained with refined taste. The dining room welcomed not just lavish meals but political discussions cloaked in conviviality In the salle du conseil decisions were drafted that would shape Europe The library, serene and studious, was the emperor’s haven a space of reading, writing, and reflection amid campaigns and chaos After finishing the visit of the ground floor we climbed the stairs to get to the first floor The Salon de l’Empereur honors Napoleon’s image a room that glorifies power with neoclassical grandeur His bedchamber austere yet dignified reveals products of the man Spartan in private splendid in public The weapons room houses relics of battle sabers, pistols, and memories from Italy to Egypt The Salle Marengo recalls the pivotal victory of June 1800 which secured Napoleon’s dominance over Europe and the Salle Joséphine portraits, letters and finer restore the memory of an empress who shaped French art and articulture as much as politics The Salle de la Frise, adorned with classical motifs reflects her cultivated admiration for antiquity and the empress’s bedroom intimate, elegant, reveals her taste her solitude and her central role in the private empire of Malmaison The third floor offers a solemn epilogue Here are the remnants of exile objects from Sainte Hélène where Napoléon spent his final years under British guard These fragments, worn boots, ink-stained letters bear witness to the loneliness of greatness undone His death mask the silent imprint of fallen emperor speaks louder than words Beyond the walls, the gardens once bloomed with exotic species imported by Joséphine a pioneer in French horticulture At the heart stands the Lebanese Cedar of Marengo planted in honour of Napoleon’s triumph its roots entwined with the myth of empire If you want to end the visit in a French way I mean like a picnic you can go to the nearby, Pac de Bois-Préau In fact, itw as once part of Joséphine’s estate! I hope you like this video and until next time.

This French palace was bought by Joséphine de Beauharnais in 1799 and Her husband, Napoléon, was shocked by the amount of spendings he discovered when he got back from Egypt.
In this video, you’ll get a full visit of this particular French monument.

Music copyright: @epidemicsound