Château de Voltaire
Allée du château, 01210 Ferney-Voltaire, Ain, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes
In 1758 when Voltaire, 65-year-old, acquired the seigniory of Ferney, he(it) declared to have found a "poor hamlet" where he(it) made build, according to closely the construction site(work), the house of his(its) last years. During almost 20 years, Voltaire received many personalities there. While he(it) declared itself "innkeeper of Europe", Ferney became the prerequisite of an elite which rushed of whole Europe. Of this distant pension(retreat), he(it) blazed against the injustice of the company(society) and stood up for victims of the political and religious intolerance. He(It) pursued intensely his(its) literary work and published, between others, the Philosophical Dictionary, the Treaty on Tolerance, several tragedies and plays. His(Her,Its) correspondence since Ferney rose in some 6000 letters. Invested(Surrounded) with the philosophical principles which have feeds the spirit of the Age of the Enlightenment, in turn town planner, entrepreneur(contractor) and sponsor, him transformed the seigniory of Ferney: drained marshes, construction of houses, paving of streets, drinking fountains, construction of a new church, development of small business sector(crafts). It became the hamlet of some inhabitants, and for a long time a prosperous city(estate) of a thousand souls was. The state acquired in 1999 the castle of Ferney, this commemorative site where Voltaire so much wrote for the human rights protection. Besides the opening to the public of the park and of the castle, an important programme of cultural events is proposed there from now on by the Centre of the national monuments in partnership with the city of Ferney-Voltaire (conferences, concerts, theatre).
Tags
Château, hôtel urbain, palais, manoir, Maison des illustres & Monument historique
