Napoleon's stay 12-15 juillet 1815 (≈ 14)
Before his surrender to the British.
1808
Construction of house
Construction of house 1808 (≈ 1808)
Ordered by Napoleon I for the commander.
1925
Acquisition by Gourgaud
Acquisition by Gourgaud 1925 (≈ 1925)
Baron Napoleon Gourgaud bought the house.
1933
Creation of the African Museum
Creation of the African Museum 1933 (≈ 1933)
Settled in old fishing houses.
1935
Donation to the State
Donation to the State 1935 (≈ 1935)
With usufruct reserve until 1959.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Napoléon Ier - Emperor of the French
He took refuge there in 1815 before his exile.
Général Gourgaud - Companion of Napoleon
Accompany Napoleon to St. Helena.
Baron Napoléon Gourgaud - Collector and donor
Created the museums in 1925-1933.
Origin and history
The Napoleonic and African Museum of Aix Island is housed in a house built in 1808 on the orders of Napoleon I, where he stayed from 12 to 15 July 1815 after the defeat of Waterloo. Here he decided to go to the British, marking his departure for exile in St. Helena. This place symbolises the end of the Napoleonic epic in France.
Acquired in 1925 by Baron Napoleon Gourgaud, great-grandson of General Gourgaud (companion of Napoleon to Saint Helena), the house became a museum after his donation to the State in 1935, which was effective in 1959. The Baron installed his Napoleonic collections there and in 1933 created the African Museum in ancient fishermen's houses, enriching the site with an ethnological component.
The museum preserves emblematic objects such as pendulums of the Napoleonic legend, memories of General Gourgaud and testimonies of the surrender of 1815. Its dual interest, both historical (Napoleonian period) and ethnological (African collections), makes it a major heritage site, labeled Musée de France and managed by the national museums of Malmaison and Bois-Préau.
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