Jean Monnet bought the house in the hamlet of Houjarray in 1945, when he returned from the United States to take up official duties in Paris.
The charm and location of this picturesque thatched cottage suited his habit of reflecting in nature and taking a walk in the woods in the early morning. The interior matched the occupant – simple and warm.
It was in this thatched cottage that Jean Monnet discussed the future of Europe with the most senior politicians of the time. Here, in the final days of April 1950, that he and his associates wrote Robert Schuman’s historic declaration. Addressing Europe on 9 May, the Minister for Foreign Affairs proposed the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ESCA), which laid the foundations for the first European Community.
On Sundays, the Monnets would receive visits from friends and their families. They loved to talk by the fire, or under the shade of large trees.
Jean Monnet died in his house on 16 March 1979.

See also blog of the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) (accessed on 3 September 2024).

L'Union européenne, European Parliament, 2022.

Film documentaire sur l'exposition "La Maison Jean Monnet : un berceau pour l'Europe" réalisé à l'occasion du 40ème anniversaire de l'acquisition de la Maison Jean Monnet par le Parlement européen.

European Parliament, Archives Unit, Directorate for the Library and Knowledge Services, and the Jean Monnet House, 2022.

Exhibition