Napoleon's Last HQ facts for kids
Napoleon's Last HQ (which means "Napoleon's Last Headquarters" in English) is a cool museum in Belgium. It's located in an old farm called Ferme du Caillou (Caillou Farm) in a town called Genappe.
This farm is super important because Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte himself stayed here the night before a very famous battle, the Battle of Waterloo. That battle happened on June 18, 1815. The museum is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) south of the Lion of Waterloo monument. You can find it at Chaussée de Bruxelles 66, 1472 Genappe.
History of the Farm
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In 1815, the Ferme du Caillou belonged to a group called Séance de Caioux. Napoleon chose this farm as his headquarters. He spent the night of June 17, 1815, here, just before the big battle.
It's said that Napoleon had breakfast here with his top generals. He famously told them, "Wellington is a bad general, the English are bad troops, and this affair is nothing more than eating breakfast." He was talking about the British commander, the Duke of Wellington, and his soldiers.
Sadly, the day after the Battle of Waterloo, the Prussian army burned the farmhouse down. They wanted to make sure it could never again be used by their enemy, Napoleon.
The Museum Today
Today, the Ferme du Caillou is a museum. It shows many interesting items from Napoleon's time. You can see unique pieces, like the camp bed Napoleon used during his military campaigns. There is also the table he used. These items help visitors imagine what it was like for Napoleon before the battle.
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An Ossuary built in 1912 in the garden. It holds bones found in the fields nearby.
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A bust of Napoleon made by Luigi di Quintana Bellini Trinchi in 2002.
