Musée Flaubert et d'Histoire de la médecine

About the museum

The museum was founded in 1901 by doctors and pharmacists from Rouen. It was initially intended for students and medical professionals and was housed in the library of the École de médecine. Donations and purchases made the collections grow so quickly that the premises became too small; around 1910 they were moved to the Hôtel-Dieu.

In 1947, the museum, then under the responsibility of the Rouen hospitals, moved into the Flaubert family home itself, a pavilion of the Hôtel-Dieu where Gustave Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821. His father worked there as a surgeon. Since January 1, 2021, the museum has been part of the Réunion des Musées Métropolitains Rouen Normandie.

Eleven rooms display family portraits, autograph letters and rare or illustrated editions, including a copy of Salammbô dedicated to the lawyer Jules Senard, who had defended Flaubert at the trial over Madame Bovary. The medical section includes a cabinet of curiosities, an apothecary, a dental room, a six-bed patient bed, a leech stand and an 18th-century childbirth mannequin by Madame Du Coudray. A heritage library holds around 2,500 early works on medicine, surgery and pharmacy.

Highlights

• Gustave Flaubert’s birth house in his surgeon father’s pavilion
• Portraits, letters and rare editions of the Flaubert family
• Six-bed patient bed, leech stand and dental room
• Childbirth mannequin by Madame Du Coudray (18th century)
• Heritage library of 2,500 works on medicine and pharmacy

Permanent exhibitions

• Les souvenirs de la famille Flaubert – Portraits, autograph letters and rare editions relating to the writer and his family.
• Histoire de la médecine – Eleven rooms with a cabinet of curiosities, an apothecary, a dental room and instruments from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century.

Founded

1901

Operated by

Réunion des Musées Métropolitains Rouen Normandie (Métropole Rouen Normandie)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission to the permanent collections.

Accessibility

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

Thematic tours interpreted in French Sign Language are held once or twice a year. A disabled parking space is nearby.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Free activity booklet for children, a quiz on Flaubert and a quiz on the history of medicine. The museum is listed as suitable for young audiences.

Getting there & parking

The museum is about a 10-minute walk from the station and 5 minutes from the Place du Vieux-Marché.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

There is a museum shop on site.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit