COMPIEGNE - NAPOLEON's PALACE

June 19, 2018

Part II

On our senior citizen excursion we also visited the Palais of Compiègne. It was an enormous building !
Built by Louis XV and Louis XVI, and remodelled by both Napoleon I and Napoleon III, the Palais de Compiègne was a centre for court life and the exercise of power. The originality and beauty of this biggest neo-classical palace in France, alongside Versailles and Fontainebleau,  is one of the three largest royal and imperial residences in France.

The 1337 !! room palace, (I haven't counted them) originally built for Louis XV, hosted Napoléon III's dazzling hunting parties, which drew aristocrats from all around Europe.  We could see the the empress's bedroom and a ballroom lit by 15 chandeliers.

The French Revolution led to the dispersion of the palace’s furniture in 1795 and most of them were sold, with only some of the pieces being returned today. That's why it seemed to me that the furniture was dispersed a bit everywhere and some rooms looked rather like a storage room. But I have to add, the palace was not ready for tourist time in July when we visited on June 7, there were renovations going on and not all furniture was displayed.

Anyway what we saw was quite impressive 






The palace from outside



The staircase to the rooms



A welcoming entrance !



Along the huge hall there were these busts. Below in the middle is Napoleon I, and the empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III



Looking up



Beautiful golden and crystal lustres



Dining room



Tapestries





Games room



Napoleon's bed



his room



and desk



The library





Empress Eugenie's tea room



Her reception room called "the blue room"



and her "royal bed" ! She had to go up the stairs to lay down !



A beautiful table




and the Chapel




Mirrors everywhere over the open fires



The hallway to the rooms. It's also used for painting exhibitions.





Ballroom, which during the war was used as hospital for wounded soldiers



Very elaborated clocks



and vases



The lustre hanging over the staircase



and a closet with French map in marble (I think that's what the guide said)

The furniture was used by Napoleon III. It was a little confusing because the different styles had been put together temporarily until the renovation will be finished.

The whole history of this palace is here

more participants here