Familistère, Social housing complex in Guise, France
The Familistère consists of residential buildings, workshops, and communal spaces arranged around central courtyards, featuring large windows and brick construction throughout the complex.
Jean-Baptiste André Godin constructed this workers' housing project between 1859 and 1866, implementing socialist principles and creating a self-sufficient community for industrial workers.
The monument includes two memorial sculptures created in 1889, with bronze reliefs depicting labor and family values central to the Familistère's social mission.
The site functions as a museum with guided tours explaining the architectural features, residential spaces, and the industrial heritage of the nineteenth-century social experiment.
The complex incorporated educational facilities, theaters, and gardens, establishing a complete living environment where workers owned shares in the manufacturing enterprise.
Location: Guise
Architects: Jean-Baptiste André Godin
Fee: Yes
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday 10:00-19:00
Phone: +33323613536
Website: https://familistere.com/fr/visiter/que-voir-que-faire-au-familistere/le-musee-de-site
GPS coordinates: 49.90418,3.62615
Latest update: June 23, 2025 09:36
The Hauts-de-France region stretches from the English Channel coast to the World War I battlefields, containing medieval castles, nature reserves, and historic gardens. Château de Pierrefonds displays 19th-century French military architecture, while the 13th-century Château d'Olhain sits on artificial islands. Abbaye de Vaucelles preserves Cistercian architecture, and the Collégiale Saint-Pierre de Doullens demonstrates Gothic construction. The Familistère de Guise documents 19th-century industrial social architecture. The natural landscape includes Parc du Marquenterre, a bird sanctuary on the Somme Bay, and Les Hortillonnages Amiénois, floating gardens near Amiens. Jardins de Valloires and Jardins de Sericourt showcase French garden design across different periods. Cap Blanc-Nez provides cliffs overlooking the English Channel. Military sites such as Blockhaus d'Éperlecques, Forteresse de Mimoyecques, and Batterie de Zuydcoote recall World War II operations. The Nécropole Nationale de Notre-Dame de Lorette and Tour d'Ulster at Thiepval document World War I. Musée Matisse in Le Cateau-Cambrésis displays works by the artist in his birthplace.
The fortified castle of Guise
938 m
Abbaye de Bohéries
4.1 km
Château de l'Étang
4 km
Église Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Guise
641 m
Église Saint-Médard de Flavigny-le-Grand-et-Beaurain
3.3 km
Château de Puisieux-et-Clanlieu
6.5 km
Église Sainte-Aldegonde de Malzy
7.1 km
Église Saint-Martin de Macquigny
5.8 km
Puisieux
6.7 km
Église Sainte-Geneviève de Noyales
5.2 km
Église Sainte-Catherine de Monceau-sur-Oise
5.1 km
Église Saint-Pierre de Grand-Verly
4.8 km
Église Saint-Leu de Proix
4.4 km
Église Saint-Germain de Lesquielles-Saint-Germain
2.2 km
Église Saint-Martin de Faty
6.3 km
Église Sainte-Madeleine de Tupigny
5.8 km
Église Sainte-Eugénie de Puisieux
6.6 km
Église Saint-Quentin de Vadencourt
4.4 km
Hôtel Warnet
403 m
Église Saint-Denis d'Iron
6.1 km
Dovecote tower of Abbaye de Bohéries
4.1 km
Église Saint-Rémi de Villers-lès-Guise
4.1 km
Église Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul d'Audigny
4 km
Église Saint-Martin de Wiège
7 km
Camping de la Vallée de l'Oise
1.1 km
Théâtre du Familistère
46 m
Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lesquielles-Saint-Germain
3 km
Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette de Proix
4.6 kmReviews
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