Two exhibitions at the Bibliothèque de Valenciennes
1815-1818 : Valenciennes à l'heure anglaise
and Napoléon gravé à l'acide, une coalition de caricatures!
1815-1818 : Valenciennes à l'heure anglaise
Following the defeat of the Imperial army at Waterloo and the ensuing Treaty of Paris, the town of Valenciennes,like many towns along the Franco-Belgian border was occupied by the British from 1815 to November 1818, indeed 10,000 British were garrisoned there under the command of the Duke of Wellington, what must have seemed like a veritable invasion for a town which only had at the time 16,000 inhabitants.
The Bibliothèque of Valenciennes explores this extraordinary moment in the history of the town using material from the municipal archives which reveal some surprising and sometimes entertaining stories. For example, records show that no less than 74 children were “officially” fathered by British men during the period. Many more presumably were never recognised.
Read more about this subject in this article (in French).
Napoleon was well aware of the power of the press and indeed the written word and imag
e. He reputedly said, “the enemy must not be allowed any advantage, not even public opinion”. A second exhibition – “Napoléon gravé à l'acide, une coalition de caricatures!” – presents a collection of Napoleonic engavings specifically caricatures from around Europe bequeathed by général Louis Chéré to the Library, both rare and historcally pertinent, reflecting changing opinions and allegiances, political turn-arounds of this pivtal moment in European history.
It is also possible to visit the exceptional Jesuit library (listed building constructed between 1740 and 1743, unchanged since its construction) on Saturday mornings.
More information on the website of the Library (in French)
Free entrance.
Opening hours:
Tuesday and Thursday, 14h – 18h30
Wednesday and Saturday, 10h – 12h and 14h – 18h30
Friday 10h – 20h
Address:
2 rue Ferrand,
BP 282,
59 300 Valenciennes,
France
Telephone 03 27 22 57
Langue(s) : French