Moulin de Villeneuve, Literary watermill in Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines, France
The Moulin de Villeneuve is a 12th-century watermill on the Rémarde river with a large park, gardens, and pathways spread across six hectares. The building holds about 30,000 books, personal objects belonging to two writers, and hosts regular exhibitions on literature and contemporary art.
The watermill was built in the 12th century and ground grain until 1904, when it ceased its original function. In the centuries before, the building underwent multiple reconstructions and repairs that altered its form and purpose.
Elsa Triolet named the paths, lawns and woods of the six-hectare park herself and decorated the house with blue dominating her study, using Far Eastern basketry beside two butcher's tables bought on the advice of the antiques dealer Delbée. Friends left works and objects kept today, given by Picasso, Fernand Léger, Jean-Pierre Chabrol and Pablo Neruda. A tape recorder plays Bach's Sarabande and a nightingale's song day and night at the tomb where both writers rest.
The site is best explored on foot, with gardens and pathways easily accessible and requiring time for a leisurely visit. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes and keep in mind that rooms inside the building are small and dimly lit.
Elsa Triolet died of a heart attack on 16 June 1970 while walking in the park paths she had laid out and named herself. She and Aragon are buried on the property, and a tape recorder plays Bach's Sarabande and a nightingale's song by their tomb day and night.
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