Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Bonaparte Museum, located in Auxonne in the Côte-d'Or department, was founded around collections created in 1863. These collections are largely based on memories and documents related to Napoleon Bonaparte's stay in the city, while he served there as artillery lieutenant between June 1788 and June 1791. The donations of Napoleon III and Marshal Vaillant also enriched the museum's holdings, which also included archaeological and ethnographic pieces. The museum is currently closed for an indefinite period, pending a transfer project requiring restoration and restructuring of collections.

The museum is associated with the Château d'Auxonne, an old urban citadel built in the 15th century under Louis XI, then modernized in the 16th and 17th centuries. This castle, with a barracks called Vauban, houses reconstructions of the life of Napoleon Bonaparte during his stay in Auxonne. The museum covers a variety of fields, ranging from national archaeology (Prehistory, Gallo-Roman) to fine arts, ethnology and military history.

Although the museum is temporarily inaccessible, its interest lies in its connection with Napoleonic history and its remarkable architectural setting. The collections, currently being reorganized, aim to preserve and showcase this unique heritage, while offering a dive into the daily and military life of the late eighteenth century.

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