It's a particularly lively month of April at the Château de Fontainebleau. After the unveiling of the renovations to the Porte Dorée on Thursday April 11, the castle will bring back to life, this weekend, the farewells of Napoleon I in its care. It was 210 years ago. An event full of 250 passionate re-enactors, surrounded by professional actors. They will offer military demonstrations in the gardens and courtyards of the castle, a Napoleonic bivouac and a depiction of daily life at the beginning of the 19th century. Finally, they will play the scene of “Farewell of Napoleon I” to his soldiers.
If the courtyard of Honor of the castle also bears the name of "Court of Farewells", it is because it is at the foot of its horseshoe staircase that Napoleon I made, on April 20, 1814, his farewell to the guard before leaving for exile on the island of Elba. This staircase was renovated for three years. It has been accessible to the public again since May 2022 and is an integral part of the Napoleonic legend. During the reconstruction, the castle offers visitors the opportunity to go back in time and relive the period of twenty days which preceded and resulted in the collapse of the Empire. These days outlined the contours of the future of France and Europe in the 19th century.