MUSÉE DE LA PAGERIE
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The birthplace of Marie-Joseph-Rose de Tascher de la Pagerie, the future Empress Josephine (1763-1814), who married Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) on March 9, 1796, this former sugar mill, formerly known as "Petite Guinée", is a place of remembrance that we highly recommend you visit. The museum has recently been refurbished to showcase the large slave community that lived here: up to 300 slaves at the height of the sugar industry in the 18th century. For almost three centuries, these 500 hectares were home to a variety of crops: cotton, tobacco, cocoa, followed a little later by sugar cane and market gardening.
The tour begins at the mill, where the sugarcane passed through, and continues in the museum housed in the former kitchen of the main building. Through letters, souvenirs and rare objects from the period, as well as antique furniture that once belonged to Joséphine, the historical tour immerses us in the daily life of the empress. From now on, the museum will focus not only on Joséphine, but also on the slaves, recreating their way of life. The new museum space brings them to life by displaying their first names. Thanks to archive material, actors have lent them their voices, and we can now hear them. An emotionally-charged experience in which the women, men and children who lived here come to life. The tour continues through the lush garden, which, in addition to its beautiful plants, is now home to an area dedicated to medicinal plants.
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