Events

compiegne visit

Visit to Compiegne In May 2007, more than 30 Americans visited Compiègne as part of a North Carolina Museum of Art trip to France, which also included Paris and Normandy.

In Compiègne, the group attended a spectacular black-tie gala held at the Château for guests from all over France and beyond, featuring a concert in the Château’s Petit Théâtre followed by a seated dinner in the magnificent ballroom. During the three-day visit, the group enjoyed in-depth private tours of the Château and its museum collections.

In addition, the group had a private tour of the site near Compiègne where France and Germany signed armistice agreements in both WWI and WWII, an informal lunch at the home of local leaders, and a splendid seated dinner at the nearby Château du Fayel, which for 300 years has been in the family of the Comte de Cossé Brissac, who hosted the event with his wife, the Comtesse.

All the French hosts in Compiègne are long-time supporters of the Château de
Compiègne, and many have personal ties to North Carolina, forged by years of cultural exchanges, which led to the formation of American Friends of the Château de Compiègne.

Inaugural celebration

In October 2006, American Friends of the Château de Compiègne celebrated its launch at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina, in conjunction with the museum’s blockbuster exhibit, Monet in Normandy. Distinguished visitors from France were welcomed by more than 160 attendees at an elegant buffet and private tour of the Monet exhibit, which featured 50 of the artist’s canvasses.

Philippe Ardanaz, Consul Général de France à Atlanta; Michèle Le Chatelier, Adjoint au Maire de Compiègne et Présidente, France-Etats-Unis-Compiègne; and
Emmanuel Starcky, Directeur des Musées Nationaux et Domaine des Châteaux de Compiègne et de Blérancourt

American Friends of the Château de Compiègne (AFCDC), established in May 2006, grew out of connections between North Carolinians and the people of Compiègne, France. A strong relationship began when Raleigh and Compiègne were officially designated Sister Cities in 1989.

During the fifteen years since then, citizens from Raleigh, Winston-Salem, and Asheville have participated in a wide range of social, cultural, and educational exchanges through both the Sister Cities organization and the North Carolina Center for International Understanding.

The Château de Compiègne, built as a royal residence for Louis XV, restored by Napoleon Bonaparte, and redecorated by Napoleon III, is one of only three seats of royal and imperial government in France, the other two being Versailles and Fontainebleau.

By raising awareness of the historical and artistic treasures of the Château, AFCDC hopes to strengthen the long-standing friendship between France and the United States, while generating support for this important monument.

With the encouragement of our French friends in Compiègne, we envision an organization that will embrace supporters of the Château de Compiègne from throughout the United States.