At Granville, in Normandy, not far from the Mont Saint-Michel, the house of Christian Dior's childhood stands on the cliff, looking out over the Anglo-Normand islands.
Built at the end of the 19th century, the Villa Les Rhumbs owes its name to the naval term denoting the 32 divisions of the compass rose, a symbol that is incorporated in a mosaic decorating the floor of one of the entrances to the house.
In 1906, Christian Dior's parents purchased this comfortable upper-middle-class house with a conservatory, set in a protective park.
Christian Dior was particularly fond of it. In his autobiography, entitled Christian Dior et moi (Christian Dior and me), he writes, "The house where I grew up... I have the most tender, wonderful memories of it. What can I say? My life, my style owe almost everything to its situation and architecture."
In 1932, soon after the death of Madeleine Dior, when his industrialist father was ruined by the Depression, the property was put up for sale. It was bought by the municipality of Granville, and its gardens were opened to the public in 1938.
In 1997, the villa became the Musée Christian Dior, the only establishment with 'Musée de France' status devoted entirely to a couturier.
Distance from the Château de Boucéel
34 km
43 minutes by car
