Château de Malmaison Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Château de Malmaison

General information
Type	Château
Architectural style	Renaissance, Empire
Town or city	Rueil-Malmaison
Country	France

The Château de Malmaison is a beautiful French castle. It is located near the Seine river, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) west of Paris. You can find it in the town of Rueil-Malmaison.

This famous château was once the home of Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais. She was the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. For a short time, from 1800 to 1802, Malmaison was even the main office of the French government. It was also the last place Napoleon lived in France before he was sent away in 1815.

History of Malmaison Castle
Visiting Malmaison Today
Gallery
- Exterior Views
- Inside the Château
See also

History of Malmaison Castle

Joséphine de Beauharnais at Malmaison in 1801, painted by François Gérard

Napoleon Crossing the Alps, a famous painting by Jacques-Louis David from Malmaison's collection

The story of Malmaison began in April 1799. That's when Joséphine de Beauharnais bought the old manor house. She bought it for herself and her husband, General Napoléon Bonaparte. At the time, Napoléon was away fighting in Egypt.

Malmaison was not in great shape when Joséphine bought it. It was a bit run-down. The estate included about 150 acres (0.6 square kilometers) of woods and fields. It was located about 12 kilometers (7 miles) west of central Paris.

Joséphine's Vision for Malmaison

When Napoléon returned, he was not happy. He thought Joséphine had spent too much money on the house. She paid over 300,000 francs, which was a huge amount! The house also needed a lot of repairs. But despite the cost, Malmaison became a very happy place for the Bonapartes. Joséphine's daughter, Hortense de Beauharnais, called it "a delicious spot."

Joséphine worked hard to make the large estate special. She wanted it to be "the most beautiful and curious garden in Europe." She searched for rare and exotic plants and animals. Her goal was to make the gardens even better. Joséphine once wrote that she hoped Malmaison would become "a source of riches for all [of France]."

The Gardens and Animals

In 1800, Joséphine built a large heated orangery. This special greenhouse was big enough to hold 300 pineapple plants! Five years later, she built another greenhouse. This one was heated by a dozen coal-burning stoves. From 1803 until she passed away in 1814, Joséphine brought almost 200 new plants to France for the first time.

The château became very famous for its amazing rose garden. Empress Joséphine asked a Belgian artist named Pierre-Joseph Redouté to paint her roses. He also painted her lily flowers. Prints of these paintings are still very popular today. Joséphine collected about 250 different types of roses. She gathered them from her home island of Martinique and from other places around the world.

Her garden was also home to many different birds and animals. They were allowed to roam freely around the grounds. At its peak, Malmaison had kangaroos, emus, black swans, zebras, sheep, gazelles, ostriches, chamois, a seal, antelopes, and llamas. Some of these animals came from a famous trip to Australia.

Later Years and Restoration

After her marriage to Napoléon ended, Joséphine kept Malmaison. She also received money to live there. She stayed at the château until she died in 1814. After Joséphine's death, the house was sometimes empty. The garden and house were damaged and robbed. The last parts of the garden were destroyed during a battle in 1870.

In 1842, Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies bought Malmaison. She was the mother of the Queen of Spain. She lived there with her second husband. Later, in 1861, Maria Christina sold the property to Napoleon III. He was Joséphine's grandson.

The château was damaged again during the War of 1870. Soldiers even used it as barracks. In 1877, the government sold the estate to a merchant. He then sold off parts of the park. In 1896, a kind person named Daniel Iffla bought the château and its park. By then, the park was much smaller. He gave it to the French government in 1903. A museum opened at Malmaison in 1905.

The famous French architect Pierre Humbert fully restored Malmaison in the early 1900s. Today, it is seen as a very important historical place.

Visiting Malmaison Today

You can visit the Château de Malmaison! It is now a national museum about Napoleon and his time. The museum is located on RN 13 (a main road) from Paris. You can also take bus 258 from the RER A "Grande Arche" station.