Noisot Park and Museum (Parc et Musée Noisot)
A pine-covered hillside above Fixin, created by a loyal grenadier as a shrine to Napoleon.
- Heritage site
- 34 min from Beaune
- Allow 1 to 1.5 hours
- Fixin
€120one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Official website
- gevreynuitstourisme.com
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 34 min by road (34 km), €120 one way for the whole car.
Or add it to our half-day wine tour plus one hour, €360.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
High above the village of Fixin, a wooded park holds one of Burgundy's most unusual monuments. Captain Claude Noisot, who followed Napoleon to Elba, created it as a personal tribute to his emperor. A bronze by François Rude shows Napoleon waking to immortality, and a small museum keeps the souvenirs Noisot gathered.
What you will see
The park is a wooded hillside of Corsican pines. Among the trees stands Rude's bronze of the emperor, with Noisot's tomb close by. The small crenellated museum, modelled on the house Napoleon occupied on Elba, displays objects Noisot gathered during the campaigns. Busts by Paul Cabet of Rude and of Noisot complete the scene, and the hundred steps climb the cliff behind.
History
Claude Noisot was born in Auxonne in 1787 and joined Napoleon's Imperial Guard in 1808. He fought at Wagram, in Russia and at Waterloo, and in 1814 he followed the emperor into exile on Elba. After retiring as a captain in 1835, he bought land on the slope above Fixin and planted it with Corsican pines in honour of Napoleon.
In 1840 Noisot had one hundred steps cut into the cliff, to recall the Hundred Days of Napoleon's return in 1815. In 1845 he asked his friend, the Dijon sculptor François Rude, for a monument, which Rude made without charge. The bronze, Napoleon Awakening to Immortality, shows the emperor coming to life on his rock of Saint Helena. It was inaugurated on 19 September 1847.
Noisot died in Fixin on 14 April 1861. He had asked to be buried standing, sabre drawn, facing the emperor, but the rocky ground made this impossible, and he lies in the park under the epitaph A soldier of Napoleon I. He left his collection to the commune. The whole park, with its walls, sculptures and hundred steps, was classified as a historic monument in 2024.
Planning your visit
Tips for your visit
The park is open all year and makes a peaceful short walk. The museum, which holds the Musée de France label, has seasonal opening days, and groups can arrange visits by reservation. Combine the park with the Romanesque church at Fixey nearby and a tasting in Fixin, where one premier cru is called Clos Napoléon. Check the official website for opening times.
Around here
What to combine with Noisot Park and Museum on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Noisot Park and Museum is about 34 min from Beaune by road (34 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €120 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? Noisot wanted to be buried standing upright, sabre in hand, facing his emperor. The rocky hillside made it impossible, so he was laid to rest in the usual way.
Sources
Noisot Park and Museum with a private driver
€120 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests