Saint-Cyr military academy museum

The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr in Brittany is the French military academy, like Sandhurst but with better food and nicer weather. It also happens to have a rather good museum. Last week I found myself in striking distance of it, so obviously I had to visit.

The great man himself

After paying my respects in front of the monument to les morts, I enjoyed a full 90-minute tour of the exhibits. It is laid out chronologically, starting with the history of the foundation of the institution itself, then leading us through 200 years of French military history as represented by ESM's famous or not-so-famous alumni: Lyautey, de Gaulle, Weygand &c.

Among the many and various exhibits I particularly liked the folding bicycle that was involved in the Fashoda incident of 1898; and the uniform worn by one alumnus for his elevation to the Académie Française (if I understood right), with very tasteful green and gold embroidery. More sombre were the displays about the post-WWII conflicts in Algeria and Indo-China. These doomed colonial episodes always strike me as especially grim and tragic.

The Academy grounds are dotted with AFVs (Sherman, VAB, assorted AMX variants, no doubt more), which is tantalizing but since museum visitors are not supposed to wander off-piste, I wasn't able to check these out as I'd have liked.

For a long time I have been on the look-out for a statue of the famous painting of Napoleon crossing the Alps, to grace a niche at my house. Where better to find one than at Saint-Cyr, which he founded, which has his hat from Saint Helena, and where a copy of the painting hangs?