Restoration of Jean Jaurès’ Bessoulet Estate in Tarn: Opening Scheduled for June 20th

The gate is open and the walls regain color. Jean Jaurès’ summer house is gradually waking up after years of neglect. There is an iconic part of the Tarn landscape, and this place full of memory is considered the “exile” of Jean Jaurès, where he wrote the most beautiful pages of his political life.

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A renovation made possible by the city of Villefranche d’Albigeois, which has been on the move since the end of 2020: “We had to successfully fit ourselves into this 400 m2 house to can we do the smallest update”, says Arnaud Sirgue. -Bec, assistant to the mayor.

For 4 years, the town council of Villefranche d’Albigeois has been moving their town by making major renovations: “The cleaning period took the longest” confirms Bruno Bousquet, the mayor of the town. But the real challenge was to find a solution to bring the site back to life.

Museum and memorial site

For this, the town has implemented an ambitious idea, allowing the Bessoulet estate to “revive the 1900s”. Therefore, historical research was done to improve the environment in which Jean Jaurès lived. As a result, local and national historians have been working on the project for months: “The goal is to create a museum and a place of remembrance,” said the mayor.

Hoping to make this area a major economic lever for the town, the town has seen the big picture by providing a room and part of the gardens, which can hold events such as concerts or weddings. “Everything that is done in Bessoulet will be discussed by those in administration,” Bruno Bousquet promises. And for good reason, all the work in the area was done either by city hall staff or by volunteers.

The town can also count on support from Tarn prefecture which is also investing in the project. Or even the work of the former President François Hollande informs himself regularly about the progress of the work. He will certainly have to travel to the area before the site opens, confirmed the mayor. The inauguration will be much more symbolic because it takes place in the centenary year since the Tarnes entered the pantheon.

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The door handles have not moved since 1900

“Right now, all that remains is to finish the paintings, arrange the furniture and put in the electricity,” said Bruno Bousquet. The rooms will be decorated with paintings bought at auction, the fireplaces will be restored as they were at the time, embroidery from the past, and the handles have not moved since 1900. Everything has been worked to a point so that the Those years of abandonment can be seen by visitors.A great opportunity to go around the site, as Jean Jaurès once did

Key dates

Sold a few weeks ago by the town of Carmaux for €20,000, the Bessoulet estate officially opens its doors to the public on June 20. The town’s expected date to host the leaflets commission is June 25. “We expect the estate to receive the Maisons des Illustres label,” said the mayor.

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Finally, the estate will hold an exhibition celebrating the 110th anniversary of the assassination of Jean Jaurès. For the event, the actor Jean-Claude Drouot will hold his show “Une voix, une parole, une conscience”, which uses the cult expressions and moments of this political figure.