Close to the Swiss border, Voltaire's castle in Ferney was home for 20 years to one of the most illustrious philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment! Discover this 18th- and 19th-century estate, a château, a writer's home and a place of remembrance.
Voltaire's arrival in Ferney
In 1759, Voltaire acquired the seigneury of Ferney from the Budé family, then "a miserable hamlet" surrounded by swamps and populated by barely 200 souls.
Why did this renowned philosopher settle in this remote area?
His arrival was part of a larger story, that of Voltaire's move to the region around Lake Geneva. After falling out with King Frederick II of Prussia, with whom he stayed from 1750 to 1753, he had to leave and find a new home. Renowned for its publishers and its spirit of tolerance, Geneva quickly caught his eye.
He stayed first at Prangins and Lausanne in the canton of Vaud, then in 1755 at the Maison des Délices in Geneva. He portrayed this city as the home of freedom. But Voltaire was soon disillusioned, as the Protestant city soon censored his works and banned the theater, to which he was passionately devoted. Undesirable at the French court and restricted in Geneva, Voltaire decided to buy two estates near Geneva, but in France - Ferney and Tournay - in order to be "independent and perfectly free".
‘View of the Château de Ferney from the courtyard side’
Is there a happier state? I find myself between France and Switzerland, without depending on either.
Voltaire
Building the castle
The deed of sale for the château was signed on February 9, 1759, in the name of his niece, Madame Denis.
As early as 1758, Voltaire began work on the château, and is said to have called on the services of Jean-Michel Billon, a well-known Geneva architect. With the defensive aspect no longer in vogue, he had his residence built on the ruins of the former 12th-century fortified castle to make it "a convenient, rustic and comfortable home".
The château, completed in 1762, was extended in 1765 by Léonard Racle, who added two wings to accommodate the crowds of visitors who flocked to see Voltaire. It was at this point that the medieval towers and walls were demolished.
The château took on its final appearance in 1766. It is neoclassical in style, with a Mansard roof.
‘The Château de Ferney as seen from the garden side’ by Michel-Vincent Brandoin
As a good chatelaine, Madame Denis takes care of furnishings and receptions. Voltaire plants trees, tends his vegetable garden, finds inspiration under the branches of his charms...
Life was gentle at the château, and very active in the village, which he transformed considerably: sanitation, paved streets, a fountain, a school and craftsmen's houses formed the heart of the village. Manufacturers set up shop: watchmaking, earthenware, tanning, pottery, silkworm breeding.
Ferney became a major commercial and intellectual center at the heart of the European Enlightenment.
Visitors of all kinds came to Ferney from all over Europe, drawn by the glory of the master of the house, now nicknamed the "Innkeeper of Europe ": lords, philosopher friends, women of letters and even artists in residence, housed on the second floor of the château.
Voltaire wrote a lot in Ferney. This prolific correspondence, of which 13,000 letters have survived to this day, radiated throughout Europe. It enabled the philosopher to maintain his network, spread his message and defend his commitments.
In the 1750s and 1760s, a major philosophical offensive was underway in France. Criticism of the regime multiplied, calling into question its foundations, absolute monarchy, concentration of power and religious intolerance.
Voltaire took part in all aspects of this vast movement, from Ferney onwards. In particular, he fought for the implementation of true justice, and became involved in court cases where arbitrariness prevailed.
Voltaire read a great deal, all kinds of works. He found pleasure and inspiration for his own reflection. As he read, he marked and annotated pages, commented on and classified his readings, making his Ferney library a veritable working tool.
‘Voltaire at his writing desk’, attributed to Carmontelle
After Voltaire's death, the château and some of its furnishings were sold by his niece, Madame Denis. The Marquis de Villette, who owned the property from 1778 to 1785, dismantled it. He staged the château to orchestrate the posthumous cult of the great man, making the Château de Ferney the first memorial site dedicated to a writer in France.
In 1958, Voltaire's château was listed as a national monument. The descendants of the Lambert family sold the château to the French state in 1999. Today, the ensemble comprises the château (largely preserved in its original exterior layout, but extensively altered inside), the park, whose landscape composition dates back to the 19th century, the janitor's pavilion dating from 1885, the orangery built in 1901 and the chapel, Ferney's former parish church until 1826.
Since 2007, the château has been part of the Center des monuments nationauxwhich preserves it and opens it to visitors all year round.
A major restoration campaign from 2015 to 2018 has enabled us to rethink and enrich the visitor itinerary!
