Introduction
Only 1 hour from Paris, in the Yvelines department, the Maison Jean Monnet is a fascinating museum that allows you to better understand the history of Jean Monnet and that of Europe, but also to get some fresh air for a weekend. Although Jean Monnet is one of the "Great Men", as he is buried in the Pantheon, his life is not well known to the general public, especially his great love of the countryside and nature. By visiting his house, we understand how Jean Monnet played a fundamental role in the construction of Europe, while discovering little-known aspects of his private life, his childhood and his family. But beyond the cultural aspect, this house is a gateway to the Yvelines Regional Nature Park, renowned for the diversity of its landscapes, its preserved flora and fauna, its wetlands and its many hiking trails. Come and meet this "Father of Europe" and his region.
An exotic visit at the gates of Paris
Between the valleys and forests of the Yvelines, small roads lead to Bazoches-sur-Guyonne then to the hamlet of Houjarray. This is where the Jean Monnet house-museum is located, originally a simple thatched cottage, where he decided to settle in 1945 and where he died in 1979.
If Jean Monnet fell in love with this house in the countryside, in this hamlet, it is because he was a true nature lover. He has always tried to live far from the city. And when that wasn't possible, he always managed to live near a park in town. He loved to walk in nature, especially around his property. Hiking trails are accessible from the Maison Jean Monnet, including the GR 11, located on the crossing of Saint-Rémy-l'Honoré. Easy to access and for all levels, it extends from the house-museum to Coignières. Nothing could be easier to follow in the footsteps of Jean Monnet on these paths that he probably walked on during his lifetime.
Who was Jean Monnet?
Born in 1888 in Cognac, in the Charente, into a family of wine producers, Jean Monnet was very early in his life in contact with foreign customers of the family company, which opened his mind from an early age. From the age of 16, he decided to work for his family and travelled to London, Canada, the United States, Russia and Egypt where he marketed the cognac of the cooperative "J.G. Monnet & Co". Discharged from military service in 1908 for health reasons, he was not mobilized in 1914 but decided to participate in the war effort in spite of everything. He was then commissioned in London to create a Franco-British pool to manage the flow of supplies. The success of this operation led, at the end of the war, to his appointment as deputy secretary general of the League of Nations. After playing a major role with the Allies in London and then in Washington, he was put in charge of France's economic recovery plan by General de Gaulle at the end of the Second World War. The main founder of the first steps towards European integration, he continued his commitment until the end of his life thanks to the Action Committee for the United States of Europe, created in 1955 with his own money. In 1975, he chose to retire to his house in the hamlet of Houjarray, where he wrote his memoirs, which retrace his action for European unity. He died in 1979 in the same house and was buried in the nearby cemetery of Bazoches-sur-Guyonne. In 1988, his ashes were transferred to the Pantheon.
The Cradle of Europe
Jean Monnet, political advisor and Father of Europe, lived in this house from 1945 until his death in 1979. He moved here after the liberation, when he returned from Washington to carry out his new duties as Commissioner for Planning in Paris. All the great decision-makers of the world came regularly to meet Jean Monnet "at Houjarray". He welcomed them in all simplicity and with a lot of conviviality, surrounded by Silvia his wife, and his two daughters, Anna and Marianne. It was during one of these meetings, in 1950, that Jean Monnet presented Robert Schuman, then Minister of Foreign Affairs, with his idea of a united Europe to preserve peace on the old continent. The Schuman Declaration, pronounced on 9 May 1950, which marked the beginning of European construction, was therefore initially drafted in Bazoches in Jean Monnet's house. Bought by the European Parliament in 1982, the site now pays tribute to the memory of Jean Monnet, one of the founding fathers of Europe. In addition to the museum, throughout the year, training courses, conferences and debates, workshops and events for all publics are organised there.
The Museum House
The museum first offers visitors a unique experience of immersion in the historic rooms of the house, namely the living room, the dining room and the bedroom, all of which are located on the ground floor. Visitors discover the house and its objects (photographs, paintings and archival documents...) at their own pace with the help of an audio-guide and short explanatory texts as well as a documentary film that they can watch on the second floor. The first floor, where his daughters' and guests' bedrooms were located, houses an interactive exhibition on the life and work of Jean Monnet. The visit ends in a room for reflection and research where visitors are invited to ask themselves questions about European issues, with several dozen reference works on the history of Europe at their disposal. In this room, they can also connect to the European Parliament's online tools and databases. Finally, the museum site is also equipped with a conference room. Inaugurated in 2008 by the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, in the presence of Jean Monnet's family, the Hans-Gert Pöttering Room hosts training sessions and working sessions of the European institutions as well as cultural events and meetings of European personalities for the general public.
The museum park
Throughout the park, a path punctuated by several stations with explanatory panels allows visitors to go back in time and immerse themselves in the life of Jean Monnet, from his apprenticeship trips around the world as a cognac merchant, to his marriage to Silvia de Bondini and the birth of Europe in the 1950s. The "European citizen's garden" which borders the amphitheatre, in the centre of the park of the Maison Jean Monnet, allows visitors to discover the plant emblem of each European country, while a 7-stage circuit indicates the different trees in the park planted by European political figures to pay tribute to Jean Monnet. Finally, in general, the Regional Natural Park (PNR) of the Haute Vallée de Chevreuse offers an exceptional natural setting for walking, cycling or horse riding, between plains and forests. All the itineraries are available directly on the website of the Regional Natural Park.
The "Secret Team of Europe" treasure hunt
There's nothing like a treasure hunt to learn about the history of Europe while having fun! Developed by the company Quaestyo for the Maison Jean Monnet, this game allows visitors to experience the adventure of the creation of Europe thanks to clues cleverly scattered around the park and the museum. A 75-minute quest to be shared in teams from a smartphone. Here is the pitch of this game that will particularly appeal to young people: "In 1950, when international tensions were at their height, Jean Monnet drew up an agreement in the greatest secrecy that would seal the project of the first European Community, the Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). Discover the incredible story of this adventure! »
The "Going Green" Residence Project
Inspired by Jean Monnet, the managers of the Regional Natural Park (PNR) and the DRAC of Ile-de-France, launched at the end of 2019 a participatory artistic residency project entitled "Se Mettre au Vert" intended to take place in eight remarkable sites, including the Jean Monnet house. Aiming to connect and discover the different cultural places of the Regional Natural Park, this project, led by a collective of three artists, will soon propose on different selected places, a series of meetings and artistic workshops free and open to all.
Worthy neighbours
Just opposite is a black gate extended by a white wall and at the end of the road the house Louis Carré. This Parisian art collector and gallery owner, a friend of the Monnet couple, had his house built here by the architect Alvar Aalto, who was at the height of his artistic maturity. Their common and universal vision of art gave birth to this global project since the architect designed not only the house, but also all its furniture, lighting, pool and pool house (maisonlouiscarre.fr). A little further down towards the Guyonne, a group of thatched cottages houses the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. Today entirely dedicated to animals, it is the former residence of Brigitte Bardot.
Hikes in the heart of nature reserves
The Regional Natural Park of the Haute Vallée de Chevreuse offers a multitude of walks in superb natural areas.
A 30-minute drive from the Maison Jean Monnet, the Val et Coteau de Saint-Rémy regional nature reserve will delight nature lovers. With a surface area of 80 hectares, it is a major site for regional and local biodiversity. It has more than 300 species of plants, about 500 species of animals including many birds such as the kingfisher and many species of insects such as the red scale and the praying mantis. Walkers will particularly appreciate the walks in this reserve as they will be able to easily observe the endemic fauna and flora, and why not take some beautiful naturalist photos.
Located nearby, the regional nature reserve of the Bonnelles ponds is also a beautiful immersion in a preserved and exotic nature. With two ponds, woods, meadows and a river - the Gloriette -, this reserve has a superb diversity of landscapes and gives rise to beautiful shots on Instagram. It is also home to many animal and plant species whose habitat is in wetlands. For the record, this natural site is located on the former park of the castle of the Duchess of Uzès and some facilities are still on site, which gives an original side to this natural site.
About thirty minutes from the Jean Monnet House, but further north of these two reserves, the protected natural area of the Domaine d'Ors is another very green and oxygenating place to walk. Between hillsides and meadows, this preserved site is in the heart of the Mérantaise valley, itself crossed by various rivers including the Mérantaise river. This site is located on the domain of a former castle that was abandoned in the 1960s before being transformed into a nature reserve by the commune. The meadows have been developed to preserve the "Highland cattle" and the bat habitat has been secured to protect the species.
Finally, 20 minutes drive from the Maison Jean Monnet, you can also explore the national nature reserve of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. This is a protected wetland area frequented by wintering birds (pintails, mallards, scaups, bitterns, greylag geese, etc.). It is one of the few sites in the Ile de France that meet the conditions necessary for the reproduction of water birds and is a particularly pleasant place to walk, especially in fine weather because of its coolness.