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Halfway between Picardy and Paris, Compiègne is a key monument for all First and Second Empire enthusiasts. Its remarkable setting in the heart of the Oise valley, on the edge of a vast forest renowned for its hunting, is the explanation as to why it held a special place in the hearts of all the kings of France. Indeed, it was rather this excellent hunting, and not the fact that the town was a key point in the lines of communication, which over the centuries led to the area becoming one of the principal royal residences. The 18th-century courtier, the Comte de Chevergny, described Louis XV's infatuation with the place in the following words: 'Hunting was his main passion [...] And Compiègne, with its immense forest, with its endless avenues amongst the trees, with its stretches down which you could ride all day and never come to the end, was the ideal place to indulge that passion'. Madame Adélaïde, the King's daughter poured praise upon 'charming Compiègne' which she 'simply adored'. What is more, Compiègne was the preferred summer residence for the monarchs of France - Louis XIV alone stayed there 75 times - and it soon became a traditional stopping point during coronation ceremonies on the return from Rheims. And although the palace suffered during the Revolution, it was to return to its glory under the Empire when it was transformed into an imperial residence which rivalled both Versailles and Fontainebleau. Just like Napoleon I, Napoleon III too fell under its spell. Indeed Compiègne was to see its swan song during the Second Empire, when it became the official residence of imperial court during the autumn and the stage on which contemporary society was to appear in its entirety during the famous 'Series'. Nor has this cultural and natural heritage been abandoned

The building as it stands today represents the final state of a series of royal residences stretching right back to that of Clovis. What was originally a simple wooden Merovingian villa, perfect as a hunting lodge, had become by the 5th and 6th centuries a 'compendium palatium' or palace, as several charters attest. The Royal palace at Compiègne grew in importance under the Carolingians and the town and surroundings also began to develop. Charles the Bald, in the middle of the 9th century, made Compiègne his official seat of office from which he wielded first royal and later imperial authority. In the 14th century, Charles V had a new building constructed upon the site of the present château. This architectural ensemble, enlarged, modified and transformed, was to serve as a residence for the kings of France up until the middle of the 19th century. As a stopping point during the ceremonial of coronations, as a hunting reserve, as halt on the road north, Compiègne is the only other royal dwelling, along with Versailles and Fontainebleau, to have had the privilege of being the seat of government. Indeed, until as late as 1847, military camps were pitched in the forest. However, lack of space meant that courtiers were forced to lodge in the town or in nearby châteaux. In 1750, Ange-Jacques Gabriel proposed a reconstruction plan which was immediately accepted and enacted - and finally finished by Gabriel's pupil, Le Dreux de La Châtre in 1776. The triangular plan of the château was dictated by the site, itself delimited by the ancient ramparts of the town. The distinguishing features of both the interior and exterior are simplicity, rigour and clarity.

During the French Revolution, the royal palace of Compiègne passed under the jurisdiction of the Minister for the Interior, whose task it was to liquidate all assets. In 1795, all the château's furniture ensembles were sold and the works of art were sent to the Muséum Central. 1799 and 1800 saw the setting up of the 'Prytanée militaire' and Bonaparte's first visit. He visited again in 1803 and was able to see at firsthand the damage caused by the introduction of the Ecole des Arts et Métiers. The place became a 'domaine impérial' in 1804, and in 1807 Napoleon, while in Finkenstein, ordered that the residence should be made inhabitable. The architects Berthault, Percier and Fontaine, the decorators Dubois and Redouté and the cabinet makers Jacob-Desmalter and Marcion formed the team charged with bringing the palace back to its former royal glory. The room distribution was altered, a ballroom was built, and the garden was replanted and linked directly to the forest. In a conscious attempt to re-associate Compiègne with its royal past, it was there in 1810 that Marie-Louise was received by her husband to be, just as Marie-Antoinette had been 40 years earlier. Similarly, in 1814, on his return from exile, it was here that Louis XVIII was received by Napoleon's marshals.

The First Empire left indelible marks on the decoration of the château. 'Compiègne speaks of Napoleon as Versailles does of Louis XIV' as Auguste Luchet, the temporary 'gouverneur' of the palace in 1848, was fond of saying. Indeed he suggested that the château be turned into an imperial museum. Whilst some of the surviving décor dates back to Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, the Empire style dominates. In fact, Compiègne is the only imperial residence which still has today its décor and furniture of 1808-1810. Generally speaking, the restoration of the July Monarchy had little effect upon the aspect of the palace, and the arrangement of the rooms and the furniture within them were to remain essentially those of the late Empire. Only the Napoleonic emblems were removed. On the other hand, some of the furniture and the decoration in some rooms were changed during the Second Empire. The 'historical apartments' are notably: the King's, and subsequently Emperor's, apartment; the Empress's apartment; the Queen's, and subsequently King of Rome's, apartment; and the Dauphin and Madame Royale's, and subsequently the Prince's, double apartment. The rooms in each apartment have been carefully restored, paying great attention to historical accuracy.

The Second Empire was for the chateau of Compiègne a return to the glories of the past. From 1856 on, Napoleon III and Eugénie made it their autumn residence and began their famous 'Series'. For about a month and a half (usually from the end of October to the beginning of December), hundreds of guests (ferried to Compiègne on special trains from Gare du Nord) were received every week by the royal couple. The political, artistic and scientific elite of the Second Empire all passed through the doors of Compiègne, where they were treated to entertainment's of various types.

Ange-Jacques Gabriel had drawn up plans for a 'French' garden between the château and the forest in his reconstruction project. But left incomplete at the beginning of the Revolution, the garden suffered badly at the hands of the Prytanée militaire. In 1808, Napoleon ordered that it should be reorganised, starting with the building of a gentle slope up the apartments on the terrace to allow the passage of carriages. In 1811, Berthault presented plans for an 'English' garden. An awning was built across the whole length of the façade so as to protect the apartments from the sun, three pavilions were erected ('for resting in'), and a system of arched trellises was constructed 'to make its possible to get, under cover and in the shade, from the château to the forest. Finally, a large park was made, linking the garden to the forest.

This extra park which lengthened the garden made it possible to design a new avenue which led from the terrace of the château (following the axis of the Allée Napoléon) to the top of a nearby hill, Beaux-Monts, four and a half kilometres away. This giant axis, somewhat Schoenbrunn-esque in its appearance, linked and unified the garden, park and forest. Work was continued during the Restoration and Berthault was to complete his garden with the addition of several other features, notably: a rose garden, the 'Cours du Pistolet', a 'triangle de "tous les diables"', and a temperate greenhouse. The sculptures in the grounds were not added until during the period from 1822 to 1830, and the work was not completed until the Second Empire. There are about thirty statues, of which some are in the antique style and were brought from the Tuileries and the Louvre. During the Second Empire, various divertissements were set up in the garden for those invited to the 'Series', most notably a carrousel. In 1862, the greenhouse was transformed by Napoleon III into a Gallo-Roman museum.