Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Bellevue Castle, built in the middle of the 19th century in Frenois (now Sedan district), is built of Bulson stone by Louis Amour, brother of the Mayor of Donshery. The plans, designed by architect Jacques-Alexandre Titeux, include a two-storey central body and fitted out attic. In 1865, two side pavilions, connected by verandas and turrets, completed the whole. The site, isolated at 185 m above sea level, overlooks the Bellevue road between the A34 motorway and the Meuse.

On 2 September 1870, the castle became the scene of a major historical event: the signing of Napoleon III's act of surrender, ending the Franco-German war. The emperor, weakened and ill, negotiated there with Prussian general Moltke and Chancellor Bismarck, before a brief interview with Prussian king William I. The capitulation, at about 11 o'clock, sealed the fate of the French army encircled in Sedan. Napoleon III left the place the next day for Germany, where he would be interned.

In the 20th century, the castle welcomed personalities such as Edward VII, King of England, in 1901. During the two world wars, he suffered damage: fighting in 1914 on the coast of Bellevue, plundering by the Germans in 1940, and then occupation by the French Forces of the interior in 1944-1945, which burned part of the woodwork to heat up. The older, less affected structure is preserved in subsequent redevelopments. Today, the castle is not visiting.

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