Entrusted to Jean Lefaure, state architect for the Compagnie fermière, this first residence was named Marie-Louise.
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Completed in 1863, it features a checkerboard pattern of yellow and ochre bricks and light wood friezes. But its two-level galleries, where the emperor liked to smoke and chat in good company, overlooked the street. Napoleon III resented being at the mercy of unwelcome admirers. What's more, an imperial domestic dispute put an end to the empress's stay in Vichy in July 1863. This would explain why Napoleon III asked architect Lefaure to build two other chalets. One, in honor of his imperial...