The Château de Malmaison is a country house (or château) in the city of Rueil-Malmaison about 12 km (7 mi) from Paris. A château ( French for castle; plural châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of gentry, usually French, with or without fortifications. ... Rueil-Malmaison is a French town near Paris, part of the Hauts-de-Seine département and within the Parisian conurbation. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ...

History

Josephine de Beauharnais purchased the manor house in April 1799 for herself and her husband, the future Napoleon I of France, at that time away fighting the Napoleonic Wars. Upon his return Napoleon expressed fury at Josephine for purchasing such an expensive house with the money she had expected him to bring back from the Egyptian campaign; the house, for which she had spent well over 300,000 francs, needed extensive renovations, and she spent a fortune doing so. Joséphine de Beauharnais, Empress Joséphine Joséphine de Beauharnais (June 23, 1763 - May 29, 1814) was the first wife of Napoléon Bonaparte, and became Empress of France. ... 1799 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Bonaparte as general Napoléon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français... The Napoleonic Wars lasted from 1804 until 1815. ...

The property achieved enduring fame for its rose garden. Empress Josephine had the French artist Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759 – 1840) record her roses (and lilies), and prints of these works sell quite well even today. Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759 - 1840) was a French painter, best known for his paintings of the flowers at Malmaison. ...

After her divorce from Napoleon Josephine received Malmaison in her own right, along with a pension of 5 million francs a year, and remained there until her death in 1814. Napoleon returned and took residence in the house after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo (1815), before his exile to the island of Saint Helena. Battle of Waterloo Conflict Napoleonic Wars Date June 18, 1815 Place Waterloo, Belgium Result Decisive Allied victory Map of the Waterloo campaign The Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815, was Napoleon Bonapartes last battle. ...

Today

Today, the public may visit the manor house as a Napoleonic musée national, with guided tours available. By car the museum lies on RN 13 (route national 13) from Paris. Public Transport: RER A to "Grande Arche", then bus 258 to stop "Le Château". The RER (French: IPA /εr ə εr/) is an urban public transportation network in Paris and the surrounding region. ... The Grande Arche de la Fraternité is a monument in the business district of La Défense to the west of Paris. ...

External link

• Official site (in French) (http://www.chateau-malmaison.fr/)