Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Charles de Gaulle's home, 9 rue Princesse in Lille, is a mansion built in the 18th and 19th centuries. Originally, it belonged to the maternal grandparents of the general, Jules-Émile and Julia Maillot, textile manufacturers. Charles de Gaulle was born there on 22 November 1890 and spent part of his childhood there. The house, typical of the Lille bourgeoisie, was acquired in 1961 by an association of friends of the general, then bequeathed to the Charles de Gaulle Foundation.

Ranked a historic monument in 1990 and labeled Maisons des Illustres in 2011, the house became a museum in 1983. It preserves its original layout, with family rooms (dining room, living rooms, native room) and personal items such as its cradle or sabre of Saint Cyrian. The museum also includes the History Factory, a former tulle factory transformed into a cultural centre with archives, temporary exhibitions and educational spaces.

Management of the site is entrusted to the Northern Departmental Council from 2013. The museum, which welcomes 19,000 to 20,000 visitors annually, highlights De Gaulle's political and military itinerary, as well as its regional ties (service in Arras, marriage in Calais). Restoration work in 1995 and 2005 helped to reconstruct the 19th century decors and enrich the multimedia offer.

The architecture of the house reveals its complex history: three 18th century buildings gathered in the 19th century by Jules Maillot, with a garden courtyard and remains of a fire. The cochère door, the roof with broken long panels and the screw staircase are characteristic. The garden houses a bust of the general carved by André Journet, while the permanent exhibition includes emblematic pieces such as the Citroën DS of the Petit-Clamart bombing (1962).

Future

Opened to the public in 1983, this house has been a historic monument since 1989 and has been part of the label Maisons des Illustres since 2011.

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