It was at one time however, the home of an Empress. She bought it while he was away fighting his wars, and set about renovating and refurnishing it. If you have small children like I do, visiting Chateau de Malmaison, just outside of Paris, is perfect. Not too big, not too crowded, not too many stairs. Rueil Malmaison, the town where the Chateau is located, is today a bustling city center with many businesses and shops nearby. It is on the famous RER A , on the west side of Paris , near La Defense , and so a major hub for attracting large corporations and families looking for a quick commute to work.
Around Chateau de Malmaison however, you can imagine another time. There is however a parking lot! While Josephine Bonaparte might have been an Empress , the property itself was owned by several bourgeois families before she purchased it. Wealthy, but not from the nobility, like Josephine herself. She purchased the house in , while Napoleon, still only a general in the army, was off fighting in Egypt. It was towards the end of the Reign of Terror and the French Revolution , which had started in , and things were finally starting to calm down in France.
But Napoleon was not pleased. The property was far more than he wanted to spend. And plus it did not look like a house meant for royalty. Napoleon had ambitions, you see. Nevertheless, the couple set about renovating it, and made it their home. As well as renovating the interior, Josephine also cultivated an extensive garden. A lover of greenery and roses, she also added a heated orangery to house many exotic plants that Napoleon brought back from his travels. But the real world was to intrude.
Four years later, in , Napoleon was voted Emperor, making Josephine his Empress. Caught up in politics and his notorious affairs with other women, the couple separated. As part of the settlement, Josephine received Malmaison and an annual pension of 5 million francs. She continued to enjoy the home until her death in A year later, Napoleon returned to the house after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo , before being exiled to the island of Saint Helena.
He had the Franco-Prussian war to deal with, however, and in the invading Prussian army ransacked the interior. This protected it to a certain extent, although military soldiers are not exactly known for their prowess in preserving antiques! The museum holds a lot of personal items belonging to Napoleon and Josephine, tries to put a human face to the facts that we know from history. It looks very much like a home, granted a very grand home. There is a library, a music room, their bedrooms and more.
