In line with monarchs and Kings before him, who came to hunt in the nearby Forest of Rambouillet, the Chateau de Rambouillet was one of Napoleon’s official “Imperial residences”. Between 1804 and 1815, the Emperor lived there for only 60 days, “but he himself directed a whole series of major works,” explains Laurent Mortier, administrator of the chateau. Planting in the park, re-organisation of the dining room, as well as the construction of a long outside balcony allowing him to reach Marie-Louise’s apartments without meeting her ladies-in-waiting.
Napoleon I was very active on the estate, despite a more than episodic presence. And it is there that he spent his last night, before his exile to St Helena.
While the city of Rambouillet has just been labelled “Imperial City”, the Centre des Monuments Historiques (CMN) has chosen to accentuate the imperial identity of the chateau through a campaign to refurnish Napoleon’s apartments. In the Emperor’s bedroom, the furniture of “Chamber of the Duke of Gaëte”, who was one of his close collaborators, Minister of Finance during the Consulate and the Empire, then first Governor of the Banque de France from 1820 to 1834. Mahogany wood, straight and sober lines, neoclassical motifs for the gilded bronzes: this ensemble, characteristic of the Empire style, gives these private spaces an atmosphere close to that with which Napoleon would have been familiar. The bathroom and the antechamber have also recently been refurnished with pieces from the Mobilier National.
Practical information for the Chateau de Rambouillet (in English)