Château de Voltaire à Ferney

Château de Voltaire à Ferney

The Chateau Ferney-Voltaire was the home of Voltaire, one of the French Enlightenment's most memorable and illustrious figures, from 1759 until his death in 1778. When Voltaire acquired the property, the 12th century manor house was in ruins, and the surrounding region was a "miserable hamlet" with a very small population ("The Castle..."). Voltaire's presence rejuvenated the area; even after his 1762 reconstruction of the chateau to create a rustic and comfortable house, it underwent construction again in 1765 to expand the space with two wings. Architecturally, the chateau is pretty typical of a French country house of the era, with ornamentation indicative of baroque artistic impulses, large windows to let in natural light, and long rooms to optimize livable space ("The Castle..."). The exterior is stately and impressive, but not ostentatious––considering its meager surroundings, the sheer size of the house would be enough to establish a dominant presence. The property's park was also tended to in Voltaire's revamp. Situated between the Jura Range and the Alps, the gardens were planned so that there were breaks in the foliage where visitors on the terrace could admire the high peaks. There was also a vineyard, an orchard, and a vegetable garden in order to supply Voltaire's table, and everything was situated around some central water features to beautify the park ("The Castle..."). Voltaire thus was able to engineer his estate to suit his purposes.

And suit his purposes it did. Voltaire did not decide to move to Ferney randomly; after his quarrel with King Frederick II of Prussia, he had to find a new place to live, and he was banned from his birthplace, Paris. He first moved to Geneva, which he enjoyed for several years before the city's Protestant spirit became oppressive to his school of thought and publications. This disillusionment with Geneva led him to select his new residence in Ferney, on the French side of the Franco-Swiss border––thus in France, but still close to Geneva, a balance between the two, where he could be "independent and free" ("The Castle..."). Here, he could exist between France and Switzerland, without relying on either state, and could be "king at home" ("The Castle..."). The Chateau Ferney was perfect for the renowned enlightened individual the Voltaire was; he wrote some of his best works there, including Candide, and he could freely host whatever other Enlightenment thinkers and peers he desired. He received so many visitors at this residence that the chateau was expanded in 1765 to accommodate the influx ("The Castle..."). Thus, having traveled and lived in a number of places throughout his life and eventually finding all of them ill-suited to his purposes, Voltaire established his chateau at Ferney as the ideal living space for one of the most influential figures of the French Enlightenment. There, he could settle in his own domain and follow the principles presented in Candide: he could cultivate his garden.

Architects: Voltaire and Jean-Michel Billon
Photo: Brucke-Osteuropa

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Voltaire_%C3%A0_Ferney_2.JPG

"The Castle of Voltaire." Chateau Ferney-Voltaire. Accessed November 15, 2018. http://www.chateau-ferney-voltaire.fr/Explorer/Le-chateau-de-Voltaire

Voltaire's rebuild: 1758-1762
Photo: 2012

Maddie Gartland

Creative Commons 1.0, free re-use