Logo Musée du Patrimoine

All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

Museum of the Swiss Guards of Rueil-Malmaison dans les Hauts-de-Seine

Musée
Musée d'histoire de France
Hauts-de-Seine

Museum of the Swiss Guards of Rueil-Malmaison

    64 Avenue Paul Doumer
    92500 Rueil-Malmaison
Musée des Gardes suisses de Rueil-Malmaison Façade du musée
Musée des Gardes suisses de Rueil-Malmaison
Musée des Gardes suisses de Rueil-Malmaison
Musée des Gardes suisses de Rueil-Malmaison
Musée des Gardes suisses de Rueil-Malmaison
Musée des Gardes suisses de Rueil-Malmaison
Musée des Gardes suisses de Rueil-Malmaison
Musée des Gardes suisses de Rueil-Malmaison
Musée des Gardes suisses de Rueil-Malmaison
Musée des Gardes suisses de Rueil-Malmaison
Musée des Gardes suisses de Rueil-Malmaison
Musée des Gardes suisses de Rueil-Malmaison
Crédit photo : Parisette - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1616
Establishment of Swiss Guards
1754
Barracks Construction Order
1756
Construction of the barracks in Rueil
10 août 1792
Massacre of Swiss Guards
1974
Historical monument classification
1999
Opening of the museum
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Facades and roofs of the main building and the four pavilions on street (AH 415): classification by decree of 28 August 1974

Key figures

Louis XIII - King of France Creator of the regiment in 1616.
Louis XV - King of France Order the construction of the barracks.
Charles Axel Guillaumot - Architect Designed the barracks in 1756.
Louis XVI - King of France Defended by the Swiss guards.
Jacques Baumel - Mayor of Rueil-Malmaison Inaugurate the museum in 1999.
Bénédict de Tscharner - Ambassador of Switzerland Present at the inauguration of the museum.

Origin and history

The museum of the Swiss Guards is housed in the former Guynemer barracks in Rueil-Malmaison (Hauts-de-Seine), built in 1756 by architect Charles Axel Guillaumot. This building, classified as a historic monument since 1974, was part of a set of three identical barracks intended to house the Swiss guards, an elite military corps charged with protecting the king under the Old Regime. The barracks in Rueil housed about 800 men of the second battalion.

The company of the Swiss guards was created in 1616 by Louis XIII, but it was not until 1754 that Louis XV ordered the construction of barracks dedicated to Rueil-Malmaison, Courbevoie and Saint-Denis. The Swiss guards were massacred at the Tuileries on August 10, 1792, defending Louis XVI. The barrack of Rueil, the only surviving of the three, was enlarged in the 19th century and surrounded by new buildings in 1950.

Inaugurated in 1999, the museum presents objects and costumes belonging to the Swiss guards, tracing their history from their creation to their tragic end. It is located near the Guynemer barracks, whose facades and roofs have been protected since 1974. The museum was opened in the presence of the Mayor of Rueil, Jacques Baumel, and the Ambassador of Switzerland to France, Benedict de Tscharner.

The architecture of the barracks follows a standardized model: a central forebody extended by two wings and four pavilions, with a ground floor, two floors and attices. This building illustrates the military organization of the Ancien Régime and the role of Swiss guards in protecting the French monarchy.

External links