Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Montebello villa, built in 1865 by architect Louis Jean Celinski de Zaremba for Marie Augustine Mathilde Périer, widow of Count Alfred Lannes de Montebello, reflects the historicizing style of the aristocracy of the Second Empire. Located in Trouville-sur-Mer, this monumental residence, contemporary of villa Sergewna in Deauville, symbolizes the golden age of Norman seaside resorts. Its imposing architecture and direct access to the sea bear witness to the fascists of the imperial elite in search of summer recreation.

On the death of the Countess in 1877, the villa was gradually abandoned by her heirs, before being redeemed in 1909 by the Countess of Le Roydeville, daughter of Marie Périer. World War I interrupted its worldly animation: confiscated in 1915 as enemy property (its owner being remarried to a German), it was auctioned in 1921. Acquished by Isidore Neujahr, and then by the municipality in 1939, it barely escaped the allied bombings during the Second World War, after having served as German command post.

Transformed into a school after 1946 as a General Leclerc supplementary course, the villa was finally converted into a museum in 1972. His collections, rich in works by Eugene Boudin, Raoul Dufy or André Hamburg, celebrate Trouville's artistic history. Ranked a historic monument in 1987 for its facades, roofs and interior staircase, it now embodies the memory of Norman seaside resorts and their cultural heritage.

Temporary exhibitions, such as those dedicated to Charles Mozin (1988, 2018) or André Hamburg (2006, 2020), highlight his role in disseminating art related to light and coastal landscapes. The villa, a communal property, remains a key place to understand the social and architectural evolution of Trouville-sur-Mer, from the Empire to the present day.

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