Maison des Mémoires

About the museum

The Maison des Mémoires occupies a 16th-century town house (hôtel particulier) in the Bastide Saint-Louis district, known as the “house of a hundred windows” (maison aux cent fenêtres), at 53 rue de Verdun in Carcassonne. It was the home of the cloth merchant and manufacturer Joseph Dupré, deputy and mayor of Carcassonne during the Revolution, and from 1827 to 1924 the seat of the Cercle du Salon, a club gathering the town's notables.

The surrealist poet Joë Bousquet (1897–1950) lived here from 1924 until his death. Wounded in May 1918 at the end of the First World War, he remained paralysed and hardly ever left his room. There he received writers, painters and philosophers of the first half of the 20th century, among them Paul Valéry, Max Ernst, Magritte, Aragon, Gide, Dalí and Simone Weil. His room is today carefully preserved in the state in which he left it.

The Département de l'Aude bought the building in 1993 and opened it to the public in 1995. It houses a permanent exhibition on the life and work of Joë Bousquet, with manuscripts and a documentation centre, and two temporary exhibitions a year, in spring and autumn. The association Centre Joë Bousquet et son temps runs events, meetings and guided visits. The house has carried the Maison des Illustres label since 2011.

Highlights

• Joë Bousquet's room, kept in its original state
• Permanent exhibition on the life and work of the surrealist poet
• 16th-century town house known as the “house of a hundred windows”
• Maison des Illustres label since 2011
• Literary meetings and two temporary exhibitions a year

Permanent exhibition

• Chambre de Joë Bousquet et exposition permanente – The room where the poet lived, kept as it was, and an exhibition of manuscripts, photographs and mementos on his life and work.

Founded

1995

Operated by

Département de l'Aude

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission to the museum is free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The house carries the Tourisme et Handicap label for motor and mental disabilities.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Carcassonne station is 698 metres away, about 8 minutes on foot.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit