Château de Compiègne

Over het museum

King Charles V bought land in the town of Compiègne to build a château, which was almost finished at his death in 1380. The building kept a medieval appearance until the 17th century. Louis XV, who liked staying in Compiègne, commissioned a major project from his First Architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, whose plans were approved in 1751. Under Louis XVI, the architect Le Dreux de la Châtre built the new wing overlooking the park, which Marie-Antoinette made her own.

The Revolution dispersed the furnishings in 1795. In 1807 Napoleon I ordered the château to be restored, and major decoration and furnishing work was carried out from 1808 to 1810. The apartments of the Emperor and Empress are among the most complete of the First Empire in France.

Under Napoleon III, Compiègne is inseparable from the Second Empire: every autumn, the Emperor and Empress Eugénie hosted around a hundred guests there for several weeks during the so-called “séries”. The château, the largest neoclassical château in France, is, together with Versailles and Fontainebleau, one of the country’s three great royal and imperial residences.

Today the château houses the historic apartments, the Musée du Second Empire, the Musée de l’Impératrice and the Musée national de la Voiture, as well as a park with a rose garden. It is part of the national museums and estates of Compiègne and Blérancourt.

Hoogtepunten

• Apartments of the Emperor and Empress, among the most complete of the First Empire
• Second Empire Museum with Winterhalter’s portrait of Empress Eugénie and sculptures by Carpeaux
• Musée national de la Voiture: the history of transport
• Théâtre Louis-Philippe in the former tennis court (Jeu de paume)
• Park and rose garden

Vaste collectie

• Appartements de l'Empereur et de l'Impératrice – Richly furnished apartments of the First and Second Empires, showing the daily life of the sovereigns.
• Musée du Second Empire – Paintings, sculptures, furniture and objets d’art evoking imperial celebrations and the life of the imperial family.
• Musée national de la Voiture – A route through the history of transport, with horse-drawn carriages, sledges, bicycles and the first automobiles.

Opgericht

1788

Beheerder

Musées et domaines nationaux des châteaux de Compiègne et de Blérancourt, ministère de la Culture

Directie

Emmanuel Étienne

Bezoekers per jaar

ca. 113.140

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Gratis toegang: First Sunday of the month, for all visitors.

The ticket gives access to the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions, and to the audio guide of the grand apartments. The prices shown apply outside exhibition periods; they increase during exhibitions. Admission is also free for many categories (job seekers, minimum-income recipients, teachers with a Pass Éducation, journalists, ICOM members).

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
• Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

Ramp to the ticket office and lift to the historic apartments, the Second Empire and Empress museums and the Petite Galerie. A folding wheelchair, three cane-strollers and twenty folding seats are lent subject to availability, without booking. Induction loop at reception and on the audio guides; sound amplifiers. Adapted group visits for people with intellectual, visual or hearing disabilities, including visits in French Sign Language, by reservation.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk
• Kinderfeestjes

Audio guide for 6- to 12-year-olds with young Léo and the Imperial Prince (45 minutes), activity booklets for 8- to 12-year-olds for the apartments and the park, bookable activities and birthday parties. Under-26s enter free. Pushchairs with seats are lent subject to availability.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

From Paris (80 km): A1 motorway, exit 9 towards Compiègne Sud. From Lille (150 km): A1, exit 10 at Arsy.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museumwinkel
• Garderobe
• Kluisjes

The Le Jardin des roses restaurant and tea room and the Le Kiosque takeaway are in the park. The bookshop is at the château entrance. Free key lockers are available. Suitcases and large bags are prohibited; ordinary bags and folding strollers go to the cloakroom after a check. Picnics are allowed under the lime-tree avenues of the park. Animals are prohibited in the château and the park.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Zakelijke evenementen

Tot 700 personen.

Hire is possible for cocktails, dinners, seminars or colloquia: the Salle des gardes (up to 350 people for a cocktail), the Salle des gardes with the Galerie de Bal (up to 700 for a cocktail and 650 for a dinner), antechambers and galleries.

Je bezoek plannen