A must-see
article | Reading time2 min
Georges Clemenceau gave his vacation home many names: château horizontal, bicoque.
Georges Clemenceau's shack
A home with every comfort
The house comprises a kitchen-dining room, two guest rooms and an office room, all served by a library corridor.
Georges Clemenceau made a few modifications to the house, adding a summer lounge and a gazebo. And even a garage!
He also installed running water, toilets, a bell to call the servants and electricity in 1926.
And for the decor: numerous travel souvenirs from all over the world, books and furniture!
© Centre des monuments nationaux - Sébastien Arnault
A house and collections
A preserved place of memory
On September 30, 1929, the ailing Georges Clemenceau left Saint-Vincent-sur-Jard to spend the winter in his Paris apartment.
On November 24, both in Paris and in the Vendée, the clocks stopped at 1:45 a.m., the hour of his death. With the help of the servants, his family reorganized the premises, which had been bought by the French state in 1931. In accordance with the family's wishes, the house became a place of remembrance dedicated to their father. Some of the objects and furnishings, which had remained on site, were moved to create a tour route.
Over the years, the collections became fragile. Some of them are stored in the storerooms. The storms of 1999 and 2010 raised awareness of the vulnerability of the items in the house. Restorers of furniture, ceramics and metals worked around the objects, either on site or in their workshops. For example, the tiger skin displayed on Clemenceau's bed is delicately placed in a box, bound for its restoration site. On site, the mirror frames are restored and the brass dusted off.
In 2017, to mark the centenary of the Great War, the place was restored to its former glory. Photographs taken during Clemenceau's lifetime and a 1936 inventory serve as reference material. The house has been refurbished as closely as possible to Clemenceau's original design: the tiger skin has been installed on the carpet in the summer salon; the Chinese teapots and various ceramics have found their place on the shelves; the summer salon has been rearranged.
© Centre des monuments nationaux - Sébastien Arnault