Historical Archives By / June 7, 2022

The Jean Monnet House: A place of European memory

For almost 40 years, the European Parliament has owned the house in which Jean Monnet, one of the ‘founding fathers’ of the European Union, spent the last part of his life.

© Union européenne, 2019 - Source: Maison Jean Monnet à Houjarray, Parlement européen

Written by Etienne Deschamps.

In keeping with the wishes of Jean Monnet and his closest colleagues, who dreamt of seeing his family home transformed into a place in which young people could come together to discuss and share ideas, the European Parliament has made this public place of memory a venue of choice for people seeking to learn more about the way the European Union works and discover the environment in which one of the architects of today’s Europe lived and worked.

It was here that many plans which would have a decisive bearing on the future of France and Europe were drawn up. In this place which was close to Paris, but which at the same time offered a refuge from the clamour of the French capital, Jean Monnet developed his vision of peace and European unity. The European Parliament bought the house in 1982. Today, managed on a day-to-day basis by the House of European History, the Jean Monnet House offers, through a permanent multimedia exhibition, an insight into both the private world of Jean Monnet and his career and political ideals. Since 2013, the Jean Monnet House has been officially recognised by the French Government as a ‘Maison des illustres’ and is also part of the Network of Political Houses and Foundations of Leading Europeans, an initiative behind which the European Parliament is a driving force. Today, Parliament is breathing new life into the Jean Monnet House, in order to raise awareness of Monnet’s work and to pass on his values of peace and solidarity to a wider public by organising new activities and hosting numerous events in Houjarray.


Read this briefing on ‘The Jean Monnet House: A place of European memory‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.


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