He conquered half of Europe, but the man known as the “little corporal” made the French capital his home — and his influence is all around.
Matt Charlton - 8 October 2024
Paris can be a bit of a museum. Romantic, sure, but without the youthful energy, vibrancy and buzz of other world cities. Thankfully, history is the reason I’m here this time – on the trail of Napoleon, recently portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in Ridley Scott’s epic biopic, the director’s cut of which is now available to stream on Apple TV+. It’s my intention to lean into the rich historical culture that the City of Light shows off so well, and discover the Paris of one of the most infamous military strategists and “short man syndrome” sufferers in history. The French emperor had quite a hand in the Paris we know today – many of its landmarks and boulevards have his finger-prints on them. And even if they don’t, the torrent of money brought into the French capital as a result of his campaigns still runs through the veins of the city.
Take Gare du Nord, for example, where my Eurostar (eurostar.com) arrives after a seamless submarinal trip. The famous terminus is a result of Napoleon III, Bonaparte’s nephew, campaigning for greater infrastructure, and the French railways themselves owe a debt to Boney, too. In 1814, engineer Pierre Michel Moisson-Desroches proposed building seven national railways from Paris in order to travel “short distances within the Empire”. The emperor assented, and France got a half-decent rail network. My accommodation, 25-hours Hotel Paris Terminus Nord (25hours-hotels.com), is just next door, and festooned with decorous touches and Parisian joie de vivre (or whatever the French version is). But now into the city… For a greater insight into Bonaparte’s influence on Paris, I take a two-hour walking tour (parisology.net/rise-of-napoleon-paris-walk). Our guide, Thierry – talking with his hands as much as his mouth, bien sûr – takes my small group to where Napoleon married the love of his life, Josephine, at 3 rue d’Antin, followed by his favourite dinner spot, and then where he saved the French Revolution and became a national hero. He later married his second wife, Marie Louise of Austria, in the Louvre (sadly no longer available as a wedding venue). Full of historical facts and anecdotes, Thierry also talks of Bonaparte’s vision as a head of state and his modernisation of France.
IMAGE: BELLES VUES From the top: the pyramid at the Louvre; Château de Fontainebleau; and dining at Le Grand Véfour
Speaking of the Louvre, it was originally known as the Musée Central des Arts de la République, before a certain someone renamed it Musée Napoléon. A more concise name, for sure, and characteristically narcissistic, but Napoleon’s ambition to make the Louvre a universal museum borrows as much from the drive to enlighten his people, as from his ambition to make Paris the new Rome. When he conquered Italy in 1797, he raided its artwork to bring back to France, including Veronese’s Wedding Feast at Cana. In order to transport the massive painting home, he had it sliced in half. You can still see the line where it was put back together: philistinism maybe, but much easier on the baggage allowance. There are plenty of Napoleonic sights of the periphery of the city. There’s the Château de Fontainebleau, 45 minutes south of Paris, where there’s a perfectly preserved throne room and many Bonaparte artefacts. To the west, there’s Château de Malmaison, his former country home, and Château Rambouillet, where he stayed before being exiled to St Helena. And then of course there’s Versailles, which Napoleon adapted to his own grand tastes after divorcing Josephine (quite the bachelor pad). You could easily pass a beautiful couple of days among the refined culture and lush greenery of these country piles.
Back in central Paris though, and my crowning glory is when I indulge my stomach on Napoleon’s behalf. I give it my all at Café Procope (procope.com), where one can dine on classic French cuisine, with not only the ghost of Napoleon, but also those of Voltaire, Balzac and Victor Hugo (imagine the drinks bill). Then I do it all over again amid the opulent splendour of Le Grand Véfour (grand-vefour.com), in surroundings that really put a peasant like me in his place, though the food was anything but revolting. Paris’s Napoleonic sights are as plentiful as they are beautiful, from Les Invalides, which houses his tomb and a fascinating military museum, to the Arc de Triomphe. One could spend a good week here just on Napoleonic spots; so make sure, much like the man himself, that you have an excellent strategy for your manoeuvres – lest you, too, finally face your Waterloo.
Paris can be a bit of a museum. Romantic, sure, but without the youthful energy, vibrancy and buzz of other world cities. Thankfully, history is the reason I’m here this time – on the trail of Napoleon, recently portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in Ridley Scott’s epic biopic, the director’s cut of which is now available to stream on Apple TV+. It’s my intention to lean into the rich historical culture that the City of Light shows off so well, and discover the Paris of one of the most infamous military strategists and “short man syndrome” sufferers in history. The French emperor had quite a hand in the Paris we know today – many of its landmarks and boulevards have his finger-prints on them. And even if they don’t, the torrent of money brought into the French capital as a result of his campaigns still runs through the veins of the city.
Request a FREE travel brochure here from Radio Times Travel
Take Gare du Nord, for example, where my Eurostar (eurostar.com) arrives after a seamless submarinal trip. The famous terminus is a result of Napoleon III, Bonaparte’s nephew, campaigning for greater infrastructure, and the French railways themselves owe a debt to Boney, too. In 1814, engineer Pierre Michel Moisson-Desroches proposed building seven national railways from Paris in order to travel “short distances within the Empire”. The emperor assented, and France got a half-decent rail network. My accommodation, 25-hours Hotel Paris Terminus Nord (25hours-hotels.com), is just next door, and festooned with decorous touches and Parisian joie de vivre (or whatever the French version is). But now into the city… For a greater insight into Bonaparte’s influence on Paris, I take a two-hour walking tour (parisology.net/rise-of-napoleon-paris-walk). Our guide, Thierry – talking with his hands as much as his mouth, bien sûr – takes my small group to where Napoleon married the love of his life, Josephine, at 3 rue d’Antin, followed by his favourite dinner spot, and then where he saved the French Revolution and became a national hero. He later married his second wife, Marie Louise of Austria, in the Louvre (sadly no longer available as a wedding venue). Full of historical facts and anecdotes, Thierry also talks of Bonaparte’s vision as a head of state and his modernisation of France.
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IMAGE: BELLES VUES From the top: the pyramid at the Louvre; Château de Fontainebleau; and dining at Le Grand Véfour
Speaking of the Louvre, it was originally known as the Musée Central des Arts de la République, before a certain someone renamed it Musée Napoléon. A more concise name, for sure, and characteristically narcissistic, but Napoleon’s ambition to make the Louvre a universal museum borrows as much from the drive to enlighten his people, as from his ambition to make Paris the new Rome. When he conquered Italy in 1797, he raided its artwork to bring back to France, including Veronese’s Wedding Feast at Cana. In order to transport the massive painting home, he had it sliced in half. You can still see the line where it was put back together: philistinism maybe, but much easier on the baggage allowance. There are plenty of Napoleonic sights of the periphery of the city. There’s the Château de Fontainebleau, 45 minutes south of Paris, where there’s a perfectly preserved throne room and many Bonaparte artefacts. To the west, there’s Château de Malmaison, his former country home, and Château Rambouillet, where he stayed before being exiled to St Helena. And then of course there’s Versailles, which Napoleon adapted to his own grand tastes after divorcing Josephine (quite the bachelor pad). You could easily pass a beautiful couple of days among the refined culture and lush greenery of these country piles.
Request a FREE travel brochure here from Radio Times Travel
Back in central Paris though, and my crowning glory is when I indulge my stomach on Napoleon’s behalf. I give it my all at Café Procope (procope.com), where one can dine on classic French cuisine, with not only the ghost of Napoleon, but also those of Voltaire, Balzac and Victor Hugo (imagine the drinks bill). Then I do it all over again amid the opulent splendour of Le Grand Véfour (grand-vefour.com), in surroundings that really put a peasant like me in his place, though the food was anything but revolting. Paris’s Napoleonic sights are as plentiful as they are beautiful, from Les Invalides, which houses his tomb and a fascinating military museum, to the Arc de Triomphe. One could spend a good week here just on Napoleonic spots; so make sure, much like the man himself, that you have an excellent strategy for your manoeuvres – lest you, too, finally face your Waterloo.