- Type
- Palace / château
- Built
- 1751 · 18th century
- Location
- Hauts-de-France, France
- Style
- baroque architecture
- Architect
- Ange-Jacques Gabriel
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 49.4192°, 2.8311°
History
The kings of France had hunted in the forests of Compiègne since Merovingian times, and an old royal castle stood in the town. In 1751 Louis XV commissioned Ange-Jacques Gabriel to build a new palace, which was completed after his retirement by Louis Le Dreux de La Châtre around 1788. In 1770 the future Louis XVI met Marie Antoinette for the first time in the forest near Compiègne. Napoleon had the palace refurbished and in 1810 received his second wife, Marie Louise of Austria, here. Under the Second Empire Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie hosted their famous autumn séries – stays of several days for invited guests filled with hunts, balls and theatre.
What to see
Visitors see the royal and imperial apartments furnished as in Napoleon I's day, including the emperor's bedroom and the ballroom, as well as the apartments of Napoleon III. The palace also houses the Second Empire Museum and the National Car Museum, with a collection of historic vehicles from carriages to early motor cars. Behind the palace the park opens onto the Beaux-Monts avenue that Napoleon cut deep into the forest.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q516697
Popularity: articles about this site in 18 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).