On this sunny day in early autumn, we were warmly welcomed by Elisabeth Caude, Director of the
Château de Malmaison National Museum, accompanied by Françoise de Guilhemier-Jacquot, a
lecturer at the National Museums specialising in the Napoleonic era.
From the gates of the park, we discovered the two-storey château, built in the 17th century, and made
our way along a path lined with flowerbeds, just as its illustrious owner liked them.
As we began our tour, our guide told us: ‘You can’t talk about Malmaison without talking about
Josephine’.
Without a doubt, the Malmaison estate is first and foremost the estate of this woman of character, born
in Martinique and now Empress of the French, Joséphine de Beauharnais, wife of Bonaparte, who
took the decision to buy it in 1799 on a whim, a decision that was endorsed by a husband who was
passionately in love with her.
Joséphine will therefore be the main theme of this visit, chosen by our guide.
To understand Joséphine’s life, it is important to remember that she had lived through the Revolution
and the anguish of the guillotine, and longed to return to serenity and a social life befitting her rank.
The Malmaison estate was designed in her image, elegant and refined, and conceived as a place to
relax and celebrate. She spent an enormous amount of money on it.
Under the guidance of our erudite and enthusiastic guide, and with the help of numerous anecdotes,
we will wander through the château, transported back in time, and imagine the daily life of this
country residence, full of the sounds of birds and imbued with the exoticism inherited from the
Empress’s childhood in Martinique: this is how we learn that an orang-utan had a place at her table!
We paused in the main rooms, most of which had been refurnished by the Mobilier National, and
discovered the Bonaparte couple’s oval bedroom, which became Joséphine’s bedroom after her
divorce on grounds of infertility. It was in this room, with its red wallpaper and four-poster bed, that
she died at the age of 50.
Before going our separate ways, our little group completed its visit with a stroll around the
magnificent walled gardens, and a snack in one of the château’s annexes.
We left Malmaison with the desire to return and discover another of Joséphine’s passions: botany, and
roses in particular. The 6-hectare park, classified as a ‘sensitive natural area’ to preserve biodiversity,
is well worth a visit: a great idea for a walk in fine weather!