Exposition “L’apprentissage en héritage”

Présentation

To mark the 250th anniversary of the creation of the Royal Military Schools by Louis XVI, the Musée Napoléon presents an exceptional exhibition dedicated to the evolution of education and teaching practices from the 18th to the 20th centuries, intertwined with local history. Housed in a building that itself served as a place of learning for three centuries, the exhibition reveals how the same space witnessed the succession of very different visions of school and youth. You can put your knowledge to the test: Can you succeed in the demanding end-of-year exercises of 1812? Will you dare to take on the challenge of the famous “Certif'” of 1916? Will you be able to handle the mysterious 13-knot rope? Whether you are a history enthusiast, a nostalgic former student, or simply curious to discover the inner workings of pedagogy in bygone days, this exhibition is for you! In the 18th century, the site housed one of the twelve royal military schools, institutions designed to train an elite for the service of the State. Discipline, rigor, and military training formed the foundations of a demanding pedagogy, in the spirit of the Enlightenment and the reformist ambitions of Louis XVI. Nobility alone was not enough to make a good military leader: one had to go to school! In the 19th century, the building became a boarding school for young boys, marked by the rise of a more civic, moral, and religious education. Education then reflected a changing society where the school helped shape the future citizens of the nation, favoring young boys in a society that, while evolving, retained a patriarchal foundation. Finally, in the 20th century, the site was transformed into an elementary school, a co-educational supplementary course, and a domestic science school. The classrooms are open to the village children: new school schedules, more active teaching methods, evolving educational materials… A still vivid memory for many residents of Brienne-le-Château, who are invited to share their recollections, photographs, and personal accounts, which will be incorporated into the exhibition. It is also a way for the residents of Brienne-le-Château to feel a greater connection to their museum. By tracing three centuries of educational models within the same building, several questions arise. How did people learn here, from generation to generation? What values, what knowledge, what disciplines shaped the childhood and future of yesterday’s students? How were the various successive national education reforms integrated into the village school here in Brienne-le-Château? Through archives, school objects, local testimonies, and historical perspectives, the temporary exhibition offers a well-documented journey that connects national and local history, the history of education, and collective memory. A dialogue between generations is opening up: between 18th-century military students, 19th-century boarders, 20th-century schoolchildren from Brienne… and today’s visitors. In partnership with the Aube Museum of Education, ASPRA – Écomusée de la Forêt d’Orient.