Panache Paris Apartment Rentals

08/19/2022

‘Tough, passionate and humble’ – Meet the bouquiniste booksellers of Paris
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It was feared that the pandemic and loss of tourists would end the 500-year-old Paris tradition - but the 'bouquiniste' booksellers of the Seine are still going strong and are determined to protect their literary heritage, as Julie Edde found out.
On a sunny weekend, the bouquinistes of Paris are unmissable – the booksellers are recognizable for the green boxes that run for 4km along the banks of la Seine.
The 220 bouquinistes, who represent the transmission of French heritage, culture and of course the history of Paris, aim to open their boxes as often as possible regardless of the weather.
But while many view it as a romantic addition to the city, the job itself is tough and doesn’t bring much in the way of financial rewards. I am here despite the summer heat,” said Philippe who was a wholesaler in books only five years ago. “I am here for the passion of books and the necessity to live from it.”
Many of the bouquinistes have been in post for decades, mostly selling old and second-hand books but also illustrations and postcards, and sometimes souvenirs. But tourists are feeling the pinch, some booksellers say.
“The revenue is half what it was five or six years ago,” said Alain who has been a bouquiniste for 20 years. “August is terrible, it’s better when retirees are here and kids are at school.”
The bouquinistes are regulated by Paris’ mairie, and although they don’t pay rent or rates for their boxes, there are strict controls in place.
Despite the drawbacks, there is stiff competition, especially for the more lucrative spots.
Every year since 2008, the city of Paris has invited applications, it studies the files of candidates, checks that their project is financially viable and that they will mainly sell books.
Eighteen new sellers have set up shop since the last recruitment campaign in March, which saw more than fifty applicants. The winners get to occupy a specific spot for free but there is a significant cost related to the purchase of the boxes which amount to €1,500 for each.
Bouquinistes will often start as ouvre-boîte – doing a shift for another seller until they get allocated a box of their own.
The new entrants always get the spots along the less-frequented parts of the river and some say that their revenue tripled when they were granted a better position – when a bouquiniste dies, the seller who has been there the longest gets priority for their spot.
But for some bouquinistes, it’s above all a job that requires time and love, beyond location.
“It’s an on-the-ground job” said the writer and bouquiniste Camille Goudeau. “It is tough, you must be able to bear bad weather, the sound of cars and people cat-calling.”
In fact, Goudeau published a novel about her profession called Les chats éraflés with publisher Editions Gallimard. She keeps on taking inspiration for writing from passersby.
“You have to be passionate, develop your clientele and stay humble.” said Luis Ortega, who has been a bouquiniste for 20 years, as well as working part-time as an assistant researcher in geology.
“It’s important to check the good condition of the books, clean them and present them well, since they are second-hand.”
Ortega gets calls from clients who live and work near his boxes, asking for specific books on topics such as philosophy and literature.
Jean-Luc Berger, a bouquiniste who was doing a replacement shift in Paris and who has 15 boxes on the river banks of Melun, 30km away from Paris, said that a careful selection of the books is also necessary in his line of work.
“We try to find books that resonate with the news,” confides Berger, citing Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses as a recent best-seller after the shocking attack on the author in the USA.
The Local

05/25/2022

French daredevil beats tightrope record with Mont Saint-Michel crossing
French daredevil tightrope walker Nathan Paulin on Tuesday claimed a new world record as he completed a 2,200-metre-long (nearly 1.4-mile) trip to Mont Saint-Michel along a wire suspended between a crane and the famous abbey on the tidal island, his team said
Paulin, 28, let himself down on the wire just metres before the finish “for safety reasons” his entourage said.
“He reached the stopping mark and so the (distance) record is beaten,” his spokeswoman, Laura Zhang, told reporters.
Paulin started his walk at an elevation of around 100 metres in late afternoon, secured to a safety line.
It took him two hours to inch his way, barefoot, along the two-centimetre-wide slackline.
Paulin claimed the previous record when he completed the then longest crossing of 1,662 metres in 2017 above the Cirque de Navacelles, a steep-sided canyon in southern France.
aid. His team said he had surpassed that mark last year in Sweden, but that the walk to Mont Saint-Michel was the longest.
Mont Saint-Michel, a 1,300-year-old Benedictine abbey, is a UNESCO world heritage site and a major tourist attraction in northwest France.

02/21/2022

For series four of Behind the Paris Street Signs, I stayed mostly in my neighborhood, the Marais, and a little bit beyond, to the Bastille.

Boulevard Beaumarchais
The Boulevard Beaumarchais runs from the Place de la Bastille to Boulevard Filles-du-Calvaire, which is an extension of the same boulevard that eventually ends at Place de la Republique. It is named after the celebrated playwright and writer, Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732-1799), who wrote two of the most famous comedies of the time, The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro, which were both later adapted into iconic operas. Beaumarchais had many other talents and skills besides writing including an inventor- inventing an important watch mechanism (his father was a watchmaker), musician, diplomat, arms dealer, and a spy. Beaumarchais was an early supporter of the American Revolution and later became part of the French Revolution. In his personal life, Beaumarchais was married three times and at one point was accused by his enemies of poisoning his first two wives in order to inherit their fortunes.
Just off the rue Saint Antoine, right before Place de la Bastille, is a bronze statue of Beaumarchais, standing erect, proudly folding his arms.

02/16/2022

I went to see the Proust exhibition last week at the Musée Carnavalet (I will be writing about it next week) and as I was exiting, I took a moment to take in the beautiful courtyard and gardens, which I’ve always admired.

The Musée Carnavalet recently went through an extensive renovation which took close to four years and reopened in 2021. The once sooty limestone on the exterior has been returned to its original, glorious color and the statues, the gorgeous stone goddesses, and reliefs are now gleaming. Another new feature is the appearance of panels with information about certain architectural elements of the garden and the courtyard.

The museum is a conglomeration of two former hotel partuculiers, the Hôtel de Carnavalet built in 1548 and the onetime home of Madame Sevigné, and the Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau, built in the 16th century that were combined to make the Musée Carnavalet. Opened in 1880, the museum is dedicated to the history of Paris.

Musée Carnavalet

23 rue de Sevigné, 75003

https://www.carnavalet.paris.fr/musee-carnavalet

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01/20/2022

France Facts: There are eight cheese families in France
The Local
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It's well known that there is a lot of cheese in France and that French people in general are fond of cheese, but did you know about the cheese 'families'?
No, these aren't families who survive all year round on nothing but cheese (although that does sound like an appealing lifestyle) it's the families that the cheeses themselves belong to.
There are hundreds of different cheeses in France, nobody can quite agree on a number, since many cheeses have regional variations of the same basic recipe, but its generally agreed to be over a thousand.
Certainly a lot more than former president Charles de Gaulle's famous quote on the subject: “Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays où il existe 246 variétés de fromage?” (How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 different kinds of cheese?).
But one thing that is agreed is that there are eight different types of cheese, known in French as familles de fromages – cheese families.
And they are;
• Fresh cheese, such as cottage cheese or the soft white fromage blanc
• Soft ripened cheese, such as Camembert or Brie
• Soft ripened cheese with a washed rind, such as l'Epoisses or Pont l'Eveque
• Unpasturised hard cheese such as Reblochon or saint Nectaire
• Pasturised hard cheese such as Emmental or Comté
• Blue cheese such as Roquefort
• Goat's cheese
• Melted or mixed cheese such as Cancaillot
A good cheeseboard in France is generally considered to consist of at least three families – a soft cheese, a hard cheese and either a blue or a goat's cheese.

01/19/2022

7 tips for buying French cheese
Charles de Gaulle famously said of France 'how can anyone govern a country with 246 varieties of cheese?'. But the General had underestimated - France actually has closer to 1,000 different types of cheese, which can feel a bit overwhelming.
Here are our tips for cheese-buying in France.
Ask for help
France has thousands of fromageries and even small towns will usually have at least one. As well as obviously having lots of cheese, they also have staff who are generally knowledgeable and helpful.
While you can of course just pick whatever you like the look of, if you feel spoiled for choice don’t be afraid to ask for advice.
Most staff are delighted to help and will steer you towards a good selection and highlight cheeses that are local, in season or just particularly good – and almost all fromageries offer free samples to taste.
They can be pretty passionate about their product – as The Local’s Europe editor Ben McPartland found out when he tried to buy the ‘wrong’ type of cheese to make a fondue.
Supermarkets
Although fromageries are great, that doesn’t mean that French supermarkets don’t have a good cheese selection too.
Most of the bigger supermarkets have a deli counter with a wide selection of cheeses, often with an emphasis on local products.
Although the deli counter assistants are not specialists, some are also happy to offer advice. Free samples, however, are not standard practice.
Eat cheese every day
While almost all French people eat at least some cheese (veganism is still relatively rare in the country, especially outside Paris), 46 percent of them eat cheese every day.
This is especially important to you as a newcomer – if there are 1,000 French cheeses it will only take you two-and-a-half years to try them all if you eat a different one every day.
OK, that might be a slightly ambitious goal. But you might make more new discoveries if you eat a small amount of cheese regularly and differentiate the varieties that you buy.
If you’re having lunch or dinner in a café or restaurant, remember that most places offer an assiette de fromage (or a chariot de fromage if you’re somewhere fancy) to round off your meal.
Keep your cheeseboards simple
It might be tempting to buy all the cheeses at once, but if you’re putting together an after-dinner cheeseboard, you wouldn’t normally have more than 5 varieties – some say 3 – otherwise all the flavours get lost.
You would normally try to mix the types of cheese, and have one hard, one soft, one goat’s cheese and one blue cheese – and then eat them in the order mildest to strongest, so that the Roquefort doesn’t drown out the more delicate flavour of the brie.
It’s really down to what you like though, so there’s no law about having a goat’s cheese on the board if you don’t like it.
Serve warm (with wine)
You don’t have to drink wine with cheese, of course, but a good wine pairing can really enhance the flavour of your cheese.
You generally serve red wine with cheese, although sometimes dessert wines can pair with strong cheeses.
But the best thing you can do for your cheese is to take it out of the fridge well in advance of serving it – room-temperature cheese has bags more flavour than one cold from the fridge, and it will also allow the soft cheeses to ooze and flow correctly.
Not just after-dinner
Cheese has many more applications than simply a cheeseboard and it’s good to ring the changes with how you serve.
Unlike German and Scandinavian countries, cheese for breakfast is rare in France (although you sometimes see fromage blanc, which is more like yoghurt, with fruit), but every other meal can and does involve cheese. Some meals (like fondue) are basically entirely cheese.
Some cheeses are specific to a dish, such as Raclette (which is usually melted and poured over potatoes, cured meats and pickled vegetables) or Reblochon (the traditional cheese for making Tartiflette).
For a more casual cheese option ordering a planche with a couple of drinks in a French bar is a great option – it’s a platter of cheese or charcuterie (or both in the case of a planche mixte) with bread.
Babybel is for kids
You can buy the individual soft Babybel cheeses, in their distinctive red wax wrappers, in French supermarkets, but they’re generally understood to be for children. The same goes for La Vache qui Rit.
In fact, French supermarkets tend to segregate all non-French cheese into a separate section – or even a separate aisle – so if you’re hunting for Parmesan to go on your pasta or feta to go in a salad, it might not be next to the French cheeses.
Emma at The Local

09/09/2021

The Traveling Exhibition of Georgia O’Keeffe at Centre Pompidou
26 August 2021 by Marilyn Brouwer 1114
From September 8th until December 6th, the Centre Pompidou is presenting the first retrospective in France of Georgia O’Keeffe, undoubtedly one of the most important North American artists of the 20th century. O’Keeffe’s Jimson Weed/White Flower No 1, painted in 1932, sold at auction in 2014 for a staggering $44,405,000, which made it the most expensive painting sold by a woman artist in the world.
Exhibiting around 100 works, paintings, designs and photographs, this exceptional exhibition has only been possible thanks to the participation of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum of Santa Fe, the MOMA of New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum of Madrid (where the exhibition started,) and private collectors who generously lent their paintings.
’Keeffe, of course, is primarily known for her oversized flower paintings, and many of these including Inside Red Canna, Jimson Weed/White Flower No 1, Oriental Poppies, White Iris No 7 and Aron 1V will be displayed alongside some of her earlier abstract works, Evening Star painted in 1917 and Black Lines in 1916. The monumental, orange and yellow From the Plains 11, painted in 1954, is the second version of a painting executed in 1919, and along with Black Mesa Landscape New Mexico, painted in 1930, Rams Head, White Hollyhock Hills and Black Door with Red, all illustrate the inspiration and influence of the New Mexico landscape where O’Keeffe eventually made her home.

08/27/2021

Josephine Baker will be the first Black woman buried at the Panthéon in Paris
Published 23rd August 2021

Credit: AP

Josephine Baker will be the first Black woman buried at the Panthéon in Paris
Written byLeah Asmelash, CNN
Legendary Black entertainer Josephine Baker is set to become the first Black woman to have her remains buried in the Panthéon monument in Paris -- one of the highest honors in France.
French president Emmanuel Macron made the announcement on Monday, writing that Baker "held high the motto of the French Republic."
In a statement released the same day, the Élysée Palace wrote that Baker was the embodiment of the French spirit, though she was born American.
"World-renowned music hall artist, committed to the Resistance, tireless anti-racist activist, she was involved in all the fights that bring together citizens of good will, in France and around the world," the palace wrote.
She will be honored at the monument on November 30.
Baker, who died in 1975, will become the first Black woman to be buried at the monument, joining just five other women -- French Holocaust survivor Simone Veil, scientist Marie Curie, French Resistance fighters Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz and Germaine Tillion, and Sophie Berthelot, the wife of a famous chemist who was buried along with her husband.
The news of Baker's reinterment comes as France has been embroiled in debates over racism in the country, as more and more people of color in the nation are challenging long-held ideas of French universalism.
Beginning her career in the US as a dancer in several vaudeville shows, Baker became immensely popular, so much so that her success took her to Paris. There, Baker became a household name, even playing in a few successful movies released in Europe, according to the National Women's History Museum.
Later, Baker became a spy for the French military during World War II. While performing for the N**i regime, she would send secret information she discovered to French officials through invisible ink on music sheets, the museum said.
Throughout her life, Baker was also outspoken against racism particularly in the US. As one of the few women speakers at the March on Washington in 1963, Baker spoke against segregation, comparing her experiences abroad to the place of her birth.
"You know, friends, that I do not lie to you when I tell you I have walked into the palaces of kings and queens and into the houses of presidents. And much more. But I could not walk into a hotel in America and get a cup of coffee, and that made me mad," she said, according to the museum.

08/24/2021

Picasso and Rodin: So Different and Yet So Alike
16 August 2021 by Sarah Bartesaghi Truong 516

By Sarah Bartesaghi Truong
At first sight, Auguste Rodin and Pablo Picasso — born 41 years apart — may seem as different as can be. And yet in Paris, Musée Rodin and Musée Picasso have partnered to offer us a twin exhibition that looks at the many parallels in their work, and also in their personalities.
Many museums have been forced to re-center on their permanent collections, the pandemic rendering uneconomical the staging of blockbuster or itinerant exhibitions. But the two Parisian institutions have found an innovative way to circumvent this constraint, pooling their resources to bring us a surprising double show, staged in both locations at the same time.
The show highlights not only how the two found inspiration in similar themes but also how they had a comparable attitude towards art.
When Picasso visited Paris for the first time, on the occasion of the International Exhibition of 1900, he visited the retrospective Rodin had put up of his own work, a grand affair where his sculptures were displayed next to pieces from his own art collection. A penniless artist at the beginning of his career, Picasso could not aspire to be introduced to Rodin, then at the height of his fame, but it is certain that what the Spaniard saw deeply influenced his work and his approach to art.
In fact, both artists lived through periods of intense social and political upheaval: Rodin became a public figure after the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 and the Commune, two cataclysmic events that tore the country apart; Picasso did not fight on the front in the Great War but was deeply impacted by it, personally and politically, and of course was one of the most acerbic critics of the conflict during the Second World War.
These disruptions pushed the two away from a naturalistic representation in their work. Rodin’s expressionism and Picasso’s cubism were different yet similar ways to apprehend a world that had become more and more complex and fragmented.
The influence of the famous sculptor on the young Spaniard extended beyond sculpture, and is evident also in his two-dimensional work, for instance in this self-portrait from the Blue Period, or the caricatures illustrating an edition of Balzac’s novel Le Père Goriot, the writer considered by both artists a model.
While the Musée Rodin portion of the double show is divided into the common themes that bring the two artists close (nature, the female body, ready mades, non-Western artifacts), the corresponding half at Musée Picasso delves into the theoretical art approach they shared, and looks at their personalities, larger than life, most likely very difficult to live with for their entourage, and strikingly similar: their work ethos, endless time spent in their ateliers, surrounded by a creative chaos where their pieces coexisted along works by other artists but also with found objects; their boundless egos that never doubted their own talent; the fraught relationships with the women in their lives, left to suffer on the altar of their lover’s fame.
The curators have done an outstanding job at suggesting how much the two artists had in common, despite being so different. For a wanderlust-addict like me, the exploration of the genius of the two artists brought us by this twin exhibition is the next best thing to traveling because for Picasso and Rodin, the process, the journey, was more important than the destination.
Picasso-Rodin is on jointly at Musée Picasso Paris and Musée Rodin until January 6, 2022.

06/24/2021

To say La Samaritaine has been highly anticipated is an understatement. An iconic landmark commanding a prime piece of real estate overlooking the Seine, the department store first opened in 1870 and saw generations of Parisians shop there. It was closed in 2005 due to safety reasons, and LVMH, the luxury conglomerate that owns it, embarked on a no-holds-barred restoration project that cost an eye-watering €750 million. And now, after 16 years of closure, this historic grand magasin reopened this week, now dubbed Samaritaine Paris Pont-Neuf, with immediate lines out the door.

Here’s a little background, courtesy of the LVMH website:
“Founded in 1870 by Ernest Cognacq and Louise Jaÿ, la Samaritaine evokes the modernized Paris of Baron Haussmann and the Second Empire, an era which saw the emergence of the city’s first department stores. Single, clearly displayed prices, the opportunity to wander the aisles and try on clothes… the principles that la Samaritaine applied to shopping would revolutionize traditional distribution. Ideally situated between the Louvre and Notre-Dame, the department store has risen to the rank of architectural monument with its harmonious mix of Art Nouveau and Art Deco.”

The architecture alone is worth a gander. The Art Nouveau and Art Deco features have been carefully restored (don’t miss the Peacock Fresco and the Grand Staircase), while the new building, facing rue de Rivoli, is a triumphant expression of contemporary architecture— undulating waves of glass— by the Japanese architectural agency Sanaa.

What to expect inside? The largest beauty department in Europe, sprawling across the lower level. (Need a massage? There’s even a Cinq Mondes spa.) A very cool streetwear department with all your favorites, including Parisian sneaker brand SHINZO. Carefully curated selections of women’s clothing, shoes, and menswear. A gift shop called Loulou’s for all your Paris-inspired souvenirs to take home to friends after your jaunt to France. But what we love most of all: The 12 exclusive dining outlets created in partnership with Parisian brands like Maison Plisson, Dalloyau, Maison Prunier caviar, and the beloved coffee roastery Brûlerie des Gobelins. And at Ernest, Naoëlle d’Hainaut, winner of season 4 of Top Chef, devised the menu…
Psssst. Soon you can even sleep there. Come autumn, a luxurious Cheval Blanc hotel will open onsite….
We’ll let the photos speak for themselves.
DETAILS
Samaritaine Paris Pont-Neuf
9, rue de la Monnaie, 1st
Tel: +33 (0)1-88-88-60-00
Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Closed May 1

06/10/2021

Metro Magic: Hôtel de Ville Offers Treasures in the Center of Paris
7 June 2021 by Meredith Mullins 179
Metro Magic: Hôtel de Ville Offers Treasures in the Center of Paris
This is the fourth in a monthly series about the wonders of the Paris Metro System.

The mayor of Paris might sometimes hear rumblings … and not just the usual protests of disgruntled citizens. The sound is the distant thunder of the metro. The Hôtel de Ville metro station sits right under City Hall, so the vibrations are a part of life in the center of Paris.

This metro station in the 4th arrondissement was one of the eight original stations, built in 1900, as part of the east/west Line 1. Line 11 was added in 1935.

Devoid of ads, the walls pay tribute to the art and history of the city, so the station takes its rightful place on the list of “metro stations worthy of a more-than-transit visit.”

Exhibits that showcase talented photographers. Photo © Meredith Mullins

A Visual Reminder of Paris Spirit
The centerpiece of the station design are tile mosaics of the Paris coat of arms. Although you will find this emblem all over Paris — on street lamps, municipal buildings, schools, bridges, and the helmets of the Republican Guard — it is here in this station that you can spend time discovering the many embedded symbols.

The Paris Coat of Arms. Photo © Meredith Mullins

The emblem first emerged in the 14th century and has evolved in the centuries since — even disappearing completely during certain periods of political history. But the image that has retained its prominence and focus is the silver sailing ship that rides atop a stormy sea against a red background.

The historical importance of merchant ships on the Seine is given power by the words Fluctuat Nec Mergitur, a Latin phrase added to the emblem by Haussmann in 1853 as the city was modernized. The phrase now embodies the courageous spirit of Paris, shown in force as it became a rallying cry after the terrorist attacks of 2015.

Fluctuat Nec Mergitur. Photo © Meredith Mullins

The most common translation is “She is tossed by the waves, but does not sink.” My favorite translation threads some poetic spirit and zen philosophy into the phrase: “He who rises with the wave is not swallowed by it.”

Whatever the translation, the meaning is clear. The city of Paris has an inner strength that makes it resilient in the face of challenges. Perhaps we will see this rallying cry emerge again as we rise from the pandemic.

The Paris coat of arms also has a sea of golden fleurs-de-lys against a blue background, a symbol of French royalty, and a frame of oak and laurel leaves symbolizing heroism.

The emblem is topped with a crenelated crown, reminiscent of the ramparts that once surrounded the city. Several medals of distinction dangle at the bottom: the Order of Liberation on the left (awarded for WWII action in the liberation of France), the Legion of Honor in the middle, and the Croix de Guerre on the right (begun in WWI for military heroism).

A Feast of Temporary Exhibits
Like the Louvre Rivoli station — last month’s Metro Magic focus — the Hôtel de Ville station offers a museum in transit. The platform walls focus on photography —showcasing emerging photographers and winners in RATP-sponsored competitions.

05/14/2021

Central Paris could be almost car free by 2022
The Local
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The Paris City Council is planning on implementing a low traffic zone in the centre of the city that will drastically reduce car traffic. Photo: Christophe ARCHAMBAULT/AFP
As part of its strategy to reduce traffic in the French capital, the Paris city council has announced plans to introduce a 'low traffic zone' in the centre of the city by 2022. A consultation with residents was launched on Wednesday.
The Paris city council is launching a consultation with residents about implementing a low traffic zone or zone apeisée in the centre of the city – a measure that already exists in other European and French cities like Lille and Nantes.
The objective is to drastically reduce traffic in an area comprising the city’s four central arrondissements and part of the 5th, 6th and 7th, by 2022.
This would mean that only “residents, buses, taxis but also artisans, professionals and delivery trucks will be allowed to circulate in this perimeter,” Paris’s deputy mayor David Belliard told Le Parisien newspaper. However, the exact details of who will be allowed to enter the low traffic zone are still to be defined during the consultation. Parisians can participate by answering a questionnaire on the
The objective is to “give priority and safety to pedestrians and cyclists, reduce pollution and noise,” Belliard said, adding that the reduction of traffic on the Rue de Rivoli, one of Paris’s main commercial streets which now has been turned into a multi-lane biking highway, “led to a reduction of 2,2 decibels.”
The creation of a low traffic zone fits into Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s broader strategy to reduce air pollution and make Paris a leading cycling capital. It’s also aligned with efforts to reduce the amount of car traffic around schools.
When the first 3-month coronavirus lockdown ended a year ago, Paris city officials created 50 kilometers of coronapistes (coronavirus cycle lanes). The move was initially temporary, but Mayor Anne Hidalgo later announced she would make them permanent in the autumn.

05/03/2021

Hero or villain: Why France is divided over Napoleon
AFP/The Local
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He's one of the world's most famous Frenchmen, but France is divided over whether the 200th anniversary of the death of Napoleon Bonaparte should be marked in any way. Here's why.
Wednesday, May 5 marks the 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s death on the Atlantic island of Saint Helena, where he had been exiled by the British after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
But while he is undoubtedly famous, Napoleon is far from un-controversial in France.
Why mark it?
Napoleon is best known for his military prowess, he fought over 70 battles and was only defeated in eight, making France the greatest military power in Europe during his reign.
The ruler also famously created the Napoleonic Code, which remains the basis of French civil law today.
A reformist, Napoleon also introduced several features into French life that are still used.
These include the metric system, the lycée secondary school system and the system of meritocracy in the government and army (where you are promoted on ability, not background. Theoretically, anyway).
Asked to name the greatest general on Earth, his British rival the Duke of Wellington said: “In this age, in past ages, in any age, Napoleon“.
“Part of French society has always been impressed by the glory,” Peter Hicks, of the Napoleon Foundation, told AFP.
“That was the currency of the Napoleonic Empire: la grandeur. He was grandeur writ large.”
Why not mark it?
But there are plenty of aspects to Napoleon that make him not the kind of guy you would want to celebrate.
He overturned the French republic and crowned himself Emperor, giving his family lavish privileges and important jobs.
His wars also inevitably brought about a lot of death, estimated to be between 3.5 to 6 million people. Cities were destroyed, victims left without a roof over their heads and women r***d as he often favoured conflict over peace. Napoleon was also behind the brutal Siege of Jaffa in 1799.
But undoubtedly the most problematic part of his reign was the reintroduction of slavery in 1802, less than a decade after it was abolished following the Revolution.
For historian Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch, who has written a book on the slave trade, this reflects Napoleon‘s heartless pragmatism, rather than outright racism, as he sought to dominate the Caribbean and its sugar trade.
“He gave into the pressures of colonial plantation owners in the Assembly. The fate of the slaves themselves no doubt bothered him very little,” she told AFP.
Ex-prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, head of the Foundation for the Abolition of Slavery, agrees: “Napoleon acted as he did in all things: without emotion or morals,” he told AFP.
“Napoleon was a cynic.”
Not a new controversy
And if this sounds like the rewriting of history with a 21st-century slant, it’s not really – Napoleon has long been a controversial figure in his homeland.
While it is hard to open Google Maps anywhere in France without seeing the names of Victor Hugo, Louis Pasteur or Charles De Gaulle running down a major street, there are but a handful of side streets dedicated to L’Empereur.
For many, he was a war-monger who left millions dead across Europe, and a despot who turned the ideals of the revolution into a vehicle for his personal ambitions, ultimately leaving France bankrupt and occupied.
Former President Jacques Chirac refused to involve himself with any commemoration festivities of the Battle of Austerlitz in 2005 and François Hollande did the same two years later on the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.
Ex-prime minister Lionel Jospin, meanwhile, published a book titled The Napoleonic Evil.
So what will happen?
The 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s death was meant to be celebrated in France by a visit from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin would have brought the remains of a Napoleonic marshal identified thanks to DNA in 2019 who had been recovered from the Battle of Valutino. However, Covid-19 curtailed those plans.
There have been several exhibitions dedicated to his place in history – from his private bo***ir at the Chateau de Fontainebleau to the Army Museum’s gathering of Christ-like portraits that proliferated after his exile – but the closure of museums and tourist sites until at least May 19th means that few have seen them.
A major exhibition in the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris aims, once visitors are allowed back, to tackle the problematic aspects of the Emperor’s life as well as his legacy – putting on show for the first time his order reinstating slavery.
Emmanuel Macron, known for his “en même temps” (at the same time) approach to thorny questions, has typically indicated he will take a nuanced approach.
Facing election next year, it is a delicate balancing act. Macron’s office says he will address “this major figure in our history… with open eyes”.
The president will be attending an event at Les Invalides on the anniversary itself.