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Origin and history

The Bernadotte Museum is located in Pau, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the heart of a typical 18th-century Bearn bourgeois house. This building, classified as a historic monument since 1953, is the home of Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, future Marshal of the Empire and then King of Sweden and Norway under the name of Charles XIV John. The house, built of pebbles, bricks and cut stones, illustrates the Belarusian urban architecture of the era, with its wooden galleries and its rooms bearing witness to the living environment of an 18th century wealthy family.

The idea of turning the house into a museum emerged in 1841 when Sweden proposed to buy the building, but negotiations failed. Over the decades, the residence, which remained intact despite the transformations of the neighborhood, attracted the attention of members of the Swedish royal family during their visits to Pau, such as that of King Oscar II in 1892 or the future Charles XIII in 1899. In 1928, Dr Philippe Tissie revived the project, pleading for a museum symbolizing the Franco-Swedish union, but discussions stagnated until the 1930s.

In 1935, in the face of the deterioration of the building, a local association, the Friends of the Bernadotte Museum, established itself to safeguard the place and collect objects related to Bernadotte. During World War II, the museum closed, but Mayor Louis Sallenave revived his funding with the help of the Swedish krona. In 1953, the house was classified as a historical monument, and its collections, enriched by Swedish gifts (paintings, letters, personal objects), traced Bernadotte's exceptional journey from soldier to sovereign.

Today the museum houses major pieces, such as Napoleon's letter authorizing Bernadotte to accept the throne of Sweden, or royal portraits. In 2018, the Swedish royal family, including King Carl XVI Gustaf, visited the restored museum to celebrate the bicentenary of Bernadotte's advent. The site, managed by the city of Pau, remains a symbol of the historical links between France and Sweden, with renovation projects envisaged in the 21st century.

In addition, the museum was used as a setting in 2015 for the program Secrets d'Histoire, dedicated to Désirée Clary, wife of Bernadotte and queen of Sweden. This place combines architectural heritage, historical memory and international cultural cooperation.

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