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Origin and history

The home of Marshal Foch, located at 2 rue de la Victoire in Tarbes (Hautes-Pyrénées), is an emblematic building of the late Louis XV era, built in pebbles. It is distinguished by its building body with a back wing on courtyard, a gallery, and a carved oak door. Inside, walnut fireplaces and a French staircase are reminiscent of the architectural style of the 18th century.

This place is inseparable from Ferdinand Foch, who lived there for his first twelve years (1851–63), his father Bertrand Jules Napoléon Foch then holding the post of secretary general of the prefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées. The house, classified as a historic monument in 1938, was transformed into a museum in 1951 for the centenary of its birth. Owned by the State until 2008, it was then transferred to the city of Tarbes and obtained the label Maisons des Illustres in 2011.

The building reflects both local and national history: its modest architecture, typical of provincial bourgeois houses, contrasts with Foch's outstanding military career, the supreme commander of the Allied forces during the First World War. Today the museum preserves personal objects and documents related to its life, while at the same time testifying to the architectural heritage of Tarbes.

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