Créé par Romane, le 20 juin 2026
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Discovering the houses of Corneille and Flaubert in Rouen
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The birthplaces of Pierre Corneille and Gustave Flaubert joined Rouen's museums in 2021 to create a "literary center".
3 houses linked to these 2 French writers and which are now labeled "literary houses and museums of France". A way to highlight a heritage too often unknown and which is worth discovering when passing through Rouen.
Is Normandy a land of literature? This is what you will discover by visiting these museums which are certainly of interest.
Pierre Corneille's birthplace
It is located on rue de la Pie, the playwright was born there on June 6, 1606 and it was in this house that he wrote Le Cid.
Even if you haven't read Corneille's works, perhaps you had to make a Cornelian choice one day... Because yes, this expression that has become popular comes from the name of this successful author.
Pierre Corneille first worked at the Parliament of Normandy as a lawyer following his law studies, then he later started writing. A recognized tragedy author, he nevertheless began by writing comedies. Theater according to Corneille is much more varied than one might first imagine.
L'Illusion comique, Le Cid, Horace, Cinna, Polyeucte, le Menteur, Rodogune, Nicomède, Tite et Bérénice, and finally Suréna are among his main works.
What to see in Pierre Corneille's birthplace?
You should know that he lived in this house for 6 years and that it has undergone very diverse transformations since.
Inside, you will find his writing cabinet reconstructed using 17th century furniture, an ebony cabinet that belonged to him, a vast Cornelian library, a model of the Vieux marché square in the 17th century, articles relating the performances of Corneille's works, but also portraits of the author and his brother as well as of the city of Rouen.
What is the entrance price?
Entry is free of charge. It would be a shame to miss out!
How to get to Pierre Corneille's birthplace?
Several modes of transport are available to get to this museum:
- Metro – Palais de Justice stop
- Téor 4 – Vieux Marché stop
- Bus 8 – Palais de Justice stop, bus 13 – Gustave Flaubert stop
- Cy'Clic Vieux Marché station
What are the opening hours?
The museum is open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (opening at 10 a.m. on Tuesday).
Sunday and public holidays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The Flaubert Museum and history of medicine
This museum is located on rue Lecat in Rouen, it is the house where Gustave Flaubert spent his childhood when his father held a position as a surgeon.
Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/51366740@N07/8634272414
After law studies, Gustave Flaubert took refuge in writing following an epileptic crisis. He traveled and it was upon his return that he wrote Madame Bovary, completing this masterpiece still took him 5 years.
Salammbô followed, then L'Éducation sentimentale and many others. A perfectionist, he was a relentless worker who would inspire numerous writers (Proust, Sartre...), the realist movement and the new novel.
What to see in Gustave Flaubert's birthplace?
The museum is located in the pavilion of the Hôtel-Dieu, you will discover medicine as it was practiced from the Middle Ages until the beginning of the 20th century with collections distributed in 11 rooms, including: a cabinet of curiosities, an apothecary, a dental office... Incredible objects like a 6-place sick bed, an 18th century delivery mannequin, as well as a leech perch.
What is the entrance price?
Entry is free.
How to get to Gustave Flaubert's birthplace?
Several modes of transport are available to get to this museum:
- TEOR 1, 2, 3 – Pasteur-Panorama stop
- TEOR 4 – Vieux-Marché stop
- Cy'Clic Pasteur – Fac de Droit station
- 10 min walk from the station, 5 min from Vieux-Marché square.
- Paid parking around the museum.
- Disabled parking spaces nearby.
What are the opening hours?
The museum is open on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and from Wednesday to Saturday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Group reception in the morning only by reservation.
The Flaubert pavilion
This small garden pavilion is the remains of the immense and sumptuous property where Gustave Flaubert lived and worked in Croisset, in the hamlet of Canteleu on the banks of the Seine. What was a secondary residence for the Flaubert family became for the latter a place of writing following his nervous breakdowns of 1844, an outlet, a "gueuloir" as he himself would say. It was at this place that he received his friends: Maupassant, Louis Bouilhet, Georges Sand, the Goncourt Brothers...
What to see in Gustave Flaubert's pavilion?
The pavilion presents some intimate souvenirs that belonged to Gustave Flaubert such as manuscript pages, an inkwell, pens and pipes. The pavilion has been classified as a historical monument since 1914.
What is the entrance price?
Entry is free.
How to get to Gustave Flaubert's pavilion?
The pavilion is located at 18 quai Gustave Flaubert, DIEPPEDALLE-CROISSET 76380 Canteleu.
Bus: "Pavillon Flaubert" stop – line 9
What are the opening hours?
- February, March, April, October, November: open by reservation Tuesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- May, June, July, September: open Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and by reservation Tuesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- July, August: open Wednesday to Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.