Useful information

Contact

Château de la Moutte is located on the Saint-Tropez peninsula.

A ROMANTIC JEWEL

In 1860, E. Ollivier fell under the spell of a Provençal bastide between the Salins beach and Saint-Tropez, owned by the Martin de Roquebrune family, an old Tropezian family, looking for a peaceful spot away from the hustle and bustle of Parisian life.

Wishing to make it a 'family nest' for himself and his young wife Blandine, the eldest daughter of composer Frantz Liszt and writer Marie d'Agoult, he transformed the bastide into a castel. To the north of the building, he added an Italian-inspired wing, Tuscany, for his father Démosthène.

A PLACE STEEPED IN HISTORY

Bequeathed to the Conservatoire du Littoral by Annette Troisier de Diaz, her granddaughter, Château de la Moutte and its grounds are administered by the town of Saint-Tropez. An enchanting place, adorned with a magnificent palm grove, the Emile Ollivier estate is also a place of remembrance.

A lawyer, politician and the last President of the Council under Napoleon III, Emile Ollivier left a legacy of life under the Second Empire. A fervent republican, he agreed to join a Bonapartist government in order to pursue his liberal reforms.

A man of letters, elected to the Académie Française in 1870 in Lamartine's place, he devoted the second half of his life to writing after retiring from political life. It was in this peaceful setting that he wrote the seventeen volumes of his political testament, L'Empire libéral, and maintained an extensive correspondence with the intellectuals and political figures of his day.

Dedicated to the major arts, particularly music, in the image of its illustrious owner and the artists who stayed there, everything at Château de la Moutte is an invitation to creation and inspiration, and bears witness to the major artistic movement that was Romanticism in the 19th century. This remarkable site, listed as a Monument Historique, is undoubtedly one of the jewels in the crown of the Tropezian heritage.

AN EXCEPTIONAL TWO-HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD PARK

On a 4-hectare site that replaced the original wine-growing land, the aesthetics of the landscaped garden took centre stage, contributing to the story of the estate. A botanical enthusiast, Emile Ollivier also transformed the park by introducing exotic species, turning it into a lush oasis of multiple species.

Australian eucalyptus, Mediterranean species, Phoenix palms and coconut palms invite visitors to a romantic reverie.

Today, the park is also a sanctuary for protected species such as woodpeckers and bats. The upkeep of the garden encourages biodiversity and contributes to ecological conservation by preserving an entire ecosystem.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE PRIVATE LIBRARIES IN FRANCE

Along with Emile Ollivier's study, the 4,500-book library is the centrepiece of the château.

A reading and research room, the imposing busts of Molière, Napoleon, Lamartine, Socrates, Seneca, Cicero and Machiavelli solemnly crown this library organised according to the model of those of the notables of the 19th century.

Voltaire, Adolphe Thiers and Machiavelli, among others, stand alongside signed first editions by Victor Hugo, Alfred de Vigny, Frederic Mistral and Ivan Tourgueniev.

The museum is a reflection of its era, but also of Emile Ollivier's thinking and his interest in these men of art.