Château de Malmaison
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The Château de Malmaison is a country house (or château) in the city of Rueil-Malmaison about 12 km (7 mi) from Paris.
[edit] History
Josephine de Beauharnais bought the manor house in April 1799 for herself and her husband, the future Napoleon I of France, at that time away fighting the Napoleonic Wars. Upon his return Napoleon expressed fury at Josephine for purchasing such an expensive house with the money she had expected him to bring back from the Egyptian campaign; the house, for which she had spent well over 300,000 francs, needed extensive renovations, and she spent a fortune doing so.
The property achieved enduring fame for its rose garden. Empress Josephine had the French artist Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759 – 1840) record her roses (and lilies), and prints of these works sell quite well even today. She created an extensive collection of roses, gathering plants from her native Martinique and from other places around the world. HRH Princess Michael of Kent says that the modern perpetually flowering rose can be considered as Josephine's creation.
After her divorce from Napoleon Josephine received Malmaison in her own right, along with a pension of 5 million francs a year, and remained there until her death in 1814. Napoleon returned and took residence in the house after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo (1815), before his exile to the island of Saint Helena.
[edit] Today
Today, the public may visit the manor house as a Napoleonic musée national, with guided tours available. By car the museum lies on RN 13 (route national 13) from Paris. Public Transport: RER A to "Grande Arche", then bus 258 to stop "Le Château".
[edit] External links
