THE DRINKING INDUSTRY

Built in 1810, beer was brewed here during the ^19th century: from brewery - and by deformation of the language - the place became "boisserie", hence its name. The De Gaulle couple acquired the house in 1934, at a time when they were looking for a peaceful place to care for Anne, their youngest daughter with Down's Syndrome. During the war, the house was badly damaged by fire and looted. After the war, it was restored and even improved in terms of comfort and appearance. La Boisserie was a place of rest and reunion for the General and his family: even when he was elected President of the Republic, his family home was still preferred opposite the Élysée Palace. Here, the General took the time to mature his decisions, and found refuge in the difficult periods of his career as a statesman. It was here that he wrote his Mémoires de Guerre during the "desert crossing" between 1953 and 1958. La Boisserie received just one official visit: that of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, sealing the Franco-German reconciliation and laying the first foundations of the European Union. After the 1969 referendum, the General withdrew somewhat, working on his Mémoires d'Espoir (Memoirs of Hope ) until his death on November 9, 1970. The main rooms on the first floor of this family home include the dining room, the living room and the library (where he died), as well as the study overlooking the forest of Clairvaux.