Mons Memorial Museum Hosts Its First Temporary Exhibition, One Number, One Destiny

1 Press pack PRESS RELEASE

From 13 June to 27 September 2015 , Mons Memorial Museum hosts its first temporary exhibition, One number, one destiny. Serving Napoleon . In a unique visitor experience , the exhibition offers a chance to relive the practice of conscription as used during the period of French rule from the Battle of Jemappes (1792) to the Battle of Waterloo (1815).

This first temporary exhibition expresses the desire of the new military history museum of the City of Mons to focus on the visitor experience . The conventional setting of the chronological historical exhibition has been abandoned in favour of a far more personal immersion . The basic idea is to give visitors a sense of the huge impact of conscription on the lives of people at the time. With this in mind, each visitor will draw a number by lot to decide whether or not he or she has been ‘conscripted’, and so determine the route taken through the exhibition – either the section presenting the daily existence of conscripts recruited to serve under the French flag, or that focusing on life for the civilians who stayed at home .

Visitors designated as conscripts will find out, through poignant letters, objects and other exhibits, about the lives of the soldiers – many of them ill-fated – as they made their way right across Europe in the fight against France’s enemies. Meanwhile, visitors in the other group will learn how those who stayed behind in Mons saw their daily lives turned upside-down by the numerous reforms introduced under the French, including the adoption of a new calendar, the eradication of references to religion, the acquisition of the right to vote, access to a new economic market and exposure to new cultural influences. However the initial lot falls, each visitor will have the chance to explore the other section of the exhibition in order to gain an understanding of all facets of life at the time.

Curator: Corentin de Favereau de Jeneret Exhibition coordinator: Odile Moreau / 065/40.53.23 / [email protected] Press preview: 11 June 2015

Organised by the Museum Cluster of the City of Mons, with the support of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and the Mons 2015 Foundation

2 Press pack THE EXHIBITION

• Context

1792: French revolutionaries win the Battle of Jemappes and arrive in Mons with the intention of putting an end to the Ancien Régime and its privileges there in order to establish democracy and a new system of liberties. The ‘Belgians’ are regarded as a friendly people whom the French have come to liberate. Four months later, following the French defeat at Neerwinden on 18 March 1793, the Ancien Régime is restored; however, in June 1794, following yet another reversal of fortune caused by Jourdan’s victory over the Austrians at Fleurus, this part of the world comes under French control once again. This time, French policy on ‘Belgium’ has changed from fraternal relations to outright annexation. And so it is that, on 1 October 1795, Belgium is officially incorporated into the French Republic. Its inhabitants become French citizens, remaining so until 1815 and the Battle of Waterloo. This period of our history has left behind indelible traces, including reforms which still shape our society today.

After 1815, the importance of the French Revolution’s achievements was generally acknowledged: the birth of human rights, the notion of the sovereignty of the people, the end of the seigneurial system and the introduction of a new institutional, economic, social and legal order. During the Revolutionary period itself, however, this was not always the case. Public opinion was divided about the benefits of the changes introduced by the French. A number of measures were profoundly controversial, such as the levying of taxes to finance the French policy of conquest, or the sale of Church property. However, there was one measure that overshadowed the rest: conscription. France, in permanent need of new recruits for the campaigns by which it was extending its power across Europe, organised a huge system for the random selection of young men to fight for its glory.

3 Press pack Thus, as first the Republic and then the Empire under Napoleon expanded, the number of recruits conscripted to the French colours rose steadily in Belgium. Every city, village and family was to see one or more of its children leave home for a long journey at the end of which lay the prospect of fortune and glory. The vagaries of the lot therefore decided the fate of much of the population. Those who were called up set out with hearts wavering between hope of adventure and prosperity and fear of the violence of battle. Those left behind would wait anxiously for news of their loved ones who had gone off to the wars; meanwhile, their daily lives were turned completely upside-down by the reforms introduced by the French.

So it was that two worlds, two ways of experiencing the ‘French period’ of Belgium’s history existed side by side. There was little interchange between these two worlds, and the image that each entertained of the other was often more imaginary than real. News from the front was rare, the only sources of information being official bodies or the rumours that found their way back to Belgium. Military campaigns were officially described as glorious and the French army as a model employer. The sense of participating in a noble cause was thus exalted. The conscripts, meanwhile, generally developed an idealised vision of home. They dreamt of returning to a warm welcome and praise for their courage, but were often unaware of the tumult and transformations through which their towns and villages were passing.

• The visitor experience

It was seen as essential for the design of this project to be consistent with the general philosophy of Mons Memorial Museum: firstly, the history of individuals should be linked to important historical events, and secondly, the familiar setting of the chronological historical exhibition should be abandoned in favour of an emphasis on human perception and interpretation.

Accordingly, the underlying idea of this exhibition is to enable visitors to feel for themselves the huge impact that conscription had on the people’s lives during this period. To this end, each visitor will draw a number by lot to ascertain whether he or she has been selected as a conscript. This will determine the route taken through the exhibition. If the number drawn is for a conscript, the visitor will start the exhibition by touring the section relating to the military campaigns of this period. If the visitor is not ‘conscripted’, he or she will head for the section on civilian life and the profound transformations that were occurring in Belgium. Once the visit to the first section has been completed, the visitor will have the opportunity to visit the other section and discover the other side of the mirror – the other side of life during this period. This is important, as the issues and challenges of either one of these two ‘worlds’ can only be properly understood with reference to those of the other. For example, considering the consequences in terms of the opening up of markets may lead to a better appreciation of what was at stake in Napoleon’s conquests.

The main purpose of the exhibition, then, is to raise awareness of the impact of conscription and the sudden and harsh impact it could have on people’s lives. The use of the lot-drawing device imparts to visitors a more personal and representative experience of the period of turmoil initiated by the Revolution and the Battle of Jemappes. In view of this imposed experience, it is important not to be over-prescriptive, but to allow visitors to form their own conclusions about this period and the conscription system. From an educational viewpoint, an effort will therefore be made to set out the facts and their consequences without analysing them from an historian’s viewpoint. Through this personal experience of the exhibition, visitors will be able to make up their own mind about these contemporary issues – just as feelings about them were divided at the time.

4 Press pack • Exhibition structure

1. First room

Information about the regional context during the occupation period: presentation of contemporary images and documents relating to the Battle of Jemappes.

2. Dilemma room

Presentation of objects and documents relating to conscription.

3. Military route

Documents and objects illustrating daily life during the Napoleonic campaigns.

4. Civilian route

Documents detailing the changes in civil society in Mons during the Napoleonic period.

5. Communication area: between the two worlds

Mainly illustrated with press materials.

6. The Hundred Days

Evocation of the Hundred Days period.

Tambour à conscription © Paris - Musée de l'Armée, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais Pascal Segrette

5 Press pack THE CURATOR

Corentin de Favereau has a doctorate in history. His thesis, defended at UCL in November 2011, was about agricultural patents in Belgium between Independence and the First World War. The choice of subject reflects his primary interest in the nineteenth century and the socio-economic transformation that Belgian society experienced at that time. From this point of view, the French Revolution and the First Empire period occupy an important place in his research.

In 2012, with Philippe Raxhon, he acted as academic adviser for the ‘Napoleon Trail in Wallonia’ project initiated by the regional authorities in preparation for the celebrations of the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo. In this context, he conducted extensive research into the French presence in Belgium, and in particular into the events of the Hundred Days.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Free Sundays : 5 July, 2 August and 6 September

Late-night openings (until 9 pm) : Thursday 9 July, 13 August and 10 September

Museum Night : Friday 21 August

Tour / Meeting with the exhibition curator, Corentin de Faveneau de Jeneret Sunday 27 September, 11 am Charge: exhibition admission + €1 Information: 065/40.53.12

Lecture and study day: Free

- Lecture by Hervé Hasquin: 1814-1815, du département français de Jemappes à la province Hollandaise de Hainaut Tuesday 22 September, 8 pm Hôtel de Ville, Mons – 7000 Mons Free

- Study day: 1814-1815. De l’empire napoléonien au Royaume des Pays-Bas, du département de Jemappes à la province de Hainaut : transition et rupture Wednesday 23 September, starts at 9 am Centre d’innovation et de design du Grand-Hornu Rue Sainte-Louise, 82 7301 Hornu By reservation 065/40.04.66 or [email protected]

6 Press pack PUBLICATION

Catalogue published in connection with the exhibition:

Authors: Comité scientifique composé de Corentin de Favereau de Jeneret, commissaire de l’exposition, Guillaume Blondeau, Cédric Istasse, Léon Lock, Pierre-Jean Niebes, Philippe Raxhon, Corentin Rousman Number of pages: 100 pages Number of illustrations: 75 Publisher: Pôle muséal de la Ville de Mons Format: 230x310 mm Price: 25€ Available in French

‘Mons 1792-1815: What would you choose? To go and fight for the glory of France and Napoleon, or to stay behind in Mons and see your daily life transformed by the French Revolution? And how would you feel if that choice was not yours, but was left to chance? This publication takes a detailed look at conscription and the terrible lottery system that was used. Wars with the rest of Europe, forced taxation and the suppression of religion – but also the right to vote, a new calendar, and access to a vast market: a series of experts depict the extent of the changes, both civil and military, that the arrival of the French Revolution brought to the lives of every Belgian. Their accounts provide the background for a rich set of objects from the daily lives of the conscripts, along with numerous images carefully chosen to illustrate the changes effected by the arrival of the French revolutionaries. Also included is a set of documents never previously displayed in public, such as architectural plans, speeches and poignant letters from conscripts which, two hundred years later, testify to their involvement in one of the greatest epics in human history.’

MONS MEMORIAL MUSEUM

Boulevard Dolez, 51 7000 Mons Information: http://www.monsmemorialmuseum.mons.be Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm Admission: €9/€6 – combined price list museum + expo: 12€/8€

Mons Memorial Museum, which opened to the public on 4 April this year on the site of the old Machine à Eau (water distribution plant) in the centre of Mons, invites visitors to reflect on the complex relations between civilian and soldier, occupier and occupied, during the two World Wars of the twentieth century. Hundreds of eye-witness accounts, authentic objects and photographs plunge visitors into the turmoil of war on a thought-provoking tour featuring multimedia installations at regular intervals. The whole visitor experience takes place in the setting of an exceptional building.

The Great War occupies a central place in the museum. The space devoted to it is structured around a dual route that highlights the experiences of civilians and soldiers on the front in parallel, throughout the period of the war.

The visit now proceeds to its second highlight, the space dedicated to the Second World War. Again, the focus is on the complex relations between occupier and occupied. The aim is to bring out the various fault-lines along which society became ideologically fragmented, leading to a shift in the concepts of belonging, patriotism and legitimate and illegitimate violence between 1940 and 1944. Some civilians joined enemy regiments, and the whole of society was subject to a power with the avowed aim of changing humanity itself, if necessary through the practice of mass extermination.

7 Press pack Others opted for clandestine activity. Their resistance to the occupier took various forms, such as espionage, sabotage, organising escape routes, providing help to those who refused to work in Germany, or running underground newspapers. The occupier’s rule of terror provoked violence in response. The visitor will be confronted with the harsh realities of daily life, coverage of which will occupy much of the space devoted to the Second World War.

The aim is not to focus only on the history of Mons, but, through the history of the city and surrounding region, to enable visitors to think about what life was like in many other parts of Belgium – each with its own particular features – in times of war.

Mons Memorial Museum, which is dedicated to recording people’s daily lives, is intended to be a living space and a forum for exchange and debate. Temporary exhibitions are part of this dynamism. We felt that the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo provided a good opportunity to look back at the French period (1792-1815) in Belgium, using the same sensitive approach that characterises the museum’s permanent exhibition.

Mons Memorial Museum in figures: Museum space: 3000m² Permanent exhibition room: 1200m² Temporary exhibition room: 350m² 2 activity rooms 1 projection room 1 conference room 1 cafeteria, 1 shop

6 km away: St Symphorien Military Cemetery

Curator of Mons Memorial Museum : Guillaume Blondeau

8 Press pack CONTACTS

Juliette Picry Spokesperson – City of Mons Grand’Place, 22 7000 Mons [email protected] 0032497970873

Shahiness Benabdelouahed Assistant Press Officer Grand’Place, 22 7000 Mons [email protected] 065/40.59.72

Géraldine Simonet Communications Officer – Museum Cluster Grand’Place, 22 7000 Mons [email protected] 065/40.51.72

Marie Bertouil Assistant Communications Officer – Museum Cluster Grand’Place, 22 7000 Mons [email protected] 065/40.51.73

9 Press pack