Places, museums, monuments : 26
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Place, museum or monument / 2nd Republic / 2nd Empire, VariaMuseum of the Franco-Prussian War and the Annexation at Gravelotte
In April 2014, the Museum of the Franco-Prussian War and the Annexation was inaugurated in Gravelotte, a town famous for the battle of Saint-Privat (known as the battle of Gravelotte in Germany) that took place there on 18 August 1870. The museum is not just a linear account of the conflict that broke out between France […]
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Place, museum or monument / 2nd Republic / 2nd EmpireMusée de la Guerre de 1870 et de l’Annexion [Museum of the Franco-Prussian War]
A history museum unique in Europe This museum, which opened in 2014, is the only one entirely devoted to the history of the Franco-Prussian War [la Guerre de 1870] and the annexation of Alsace and part of Lorraine by the German Empire (1871-1918). It takes a fresh look at the issues raised by this conflict […]
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Place, museum or monumentChâteau de Bessonies
History and locationBessonies, a small commune in the Lot département, sits at an altitude of 580 metres above sea level. The huge Château de Bessonies was built in the 16th century and features two round towers that flank the front facade. It is particularly famous for being the location of Maréchal Ney's arrest on 3 […]
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Place, museum or monumentMusée Napoléon de la Pommerie
History Tucked away in the small commune of Cendrieux, in the heart of the Périgord region, and housed in a modest château belonging to the Witt family, is the Musée Napoléon de la Pommerie. The property was acquired towards the end of the 1940s by Princess Marie-Clotilde Napoléon, the great grand-daughter of Jerome, King of […]
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Place, museum or monumentMusée Murat (Labastide-Murat, Lot)Given to the Lot department by the descendants of the comtes Murat (the branch derived from the Marshal's brother), the house in which that proud cavalier, but also 'grand amiral', grand-duc de Berg and King of Naples was born, is open to the public, offering…
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Place, museum or monumentMuseum of Historical Figurines – Compiègne
One hundred thousand tin, lead, card and papier-maché figurines, recounting the military and civilian history of France, go to make up the Musée de la Figurine Historique. And the museum spreads out over 5,300 square feet, six chronological sections, and includes twenty dioramas devoted to the First Empire. Two historical reconstructions present 'The victory at Austerlitz, […]
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Place, museum or monument / 2nd Republic / 2nd EmpireVilla Eugénie (Hôtel du Palais, Biarritz)
Villa Eugénie was commissioned by Napoleon III and built in 1854. Queen Hortense had been taken by the region as early as 1807, but it took Empress Eugenia’s persuasion before Napoleon III set up the imperial court’s summer residence there. Eugenia was but a child when she discovered the beauty of the Basque coast with […]
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Place, museum or monumentNaval and Napoleonic Museum
At the very tip of the Cap d'Antibes, the museum is situated in a magnificent location in the shadow of the Tour du Graillon, a former battery Napoleon had restored to a defense post in 1794. It is surrounded by a ten acre park. The second room in the museum evokes the Napoleonic epic specifically […]
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Place, museum or monumentNational Museum of the Bonaparte Residence in Corsica
In 1764, Charles-Marie Bonaparte wed the young Letizia Ramolino and settled with her in the Bonaparte family residence. Napoleon was born there on August 15, 1769, and Lucien, Louis, Jerome, Elisa, Pauline and Caroline followed. After three years spent on the continent from 1793 to 1796 due to the family's allegiance with the French Republic, […]
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Place, museum or monumentMusée de l’Empéri
The Musée de l'Empéri was started by two passionate collectors, Raoul and Jean Brunon, and contains a total of almost 10,000 objects, documents and books. The history of the French army from 1700 to 1918 is recounted thanks to large-scale historical reconstructions involving 130 life-size infantrymen and cavalrymen. Originally located in the Brunons' family home […]