Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The mansion of Veygoux, located in Charbonnières-les-Varennes in Puy-de-Dôme, is built around 1623 in a Louis XIII style. He became the fief of the Desaix family on the occasion of the marriage between Sylvaine de Brosson and Annet des Aix. The family coat of arms, still visible above the door, symbolizes this lineage. The estate remained in this family until 1880, deeply marking local history.

During the French Revolution, the mansion was confiscated as demigrated in 1793, after the denunciation of the mother and sister of General Desaix. The family managed to buy it for £85,000. In 1812, Louis-Jean Desaix, nephew of the general, was named Baron of Veygoux and Empire. The last Desaix owner, Casimir Marie, sells the estate after the Restoration.

In the 20th century, the mansion changed hands several times and fell into ruins before being saved in 1968 by Hugh Ian Macgarvie-Munn. Renovated, it was acquired by the commune in 1997 and transformed into a set dedicated to the French Revolution. The museum offers an immersion in the key events of this period, notably through technologies such as augmented reality and interactive routes.

The mansion preserves traces of its aristocratic past, as the coat of arms of the Desaix, and departmental archives testify to daily life in the time of the general. Today, it combines heritage preservation and cultural mediation, attracting visitors through its dynamic approach to history.

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