Musée Jean-Jacques-Rousseau

About the museum

The museum occupies the Petit Mont-Louis, the house to which Jean-Jacques Rousseau moved in Montmorency in December 1757, after leaving the Ermitage where he had lived since April 1756. He stayed there until June 9, 1762, when he left after the condemnation of Émile. It was there that he wrote or completed several of his major works: Julie, or the New Heloise, the Letter on Spectacles, The Social Contract and Émile.

The house can only be visited with a guide. It includes the philosopher's study and bedroom, the room of Thérèse Levasseur and the kitchen, as well as furniture that came from the time of Madame d'Épinay at the Ermitage. The garden, which offers a panorama over Paris and the Val-d'Oise, is visited with an audio guide. A 19th-century extension hosts temporary exhibitions every year from April to October, including a contemporary art exhibition since 2022.

The collections number about 12,000 objects: manuscripts, letters, first editions, prints and small objects linked to the cult of Rousseau after the Revolution, but also documents on the Montmorency family, plans and old postcards, as well as works connected to George Sand and the singer Marie Delna. All of Rousseau's herbarium specimens, held in eleven French and Swiss institutions, have been digitized. A study library devoted to Rousseau scholarship, housed in the neighbouring house known as the Maison des Commères, is open by appointment.

Highlights

• House where Rousseau lived from 1757 to 1762, with his study and bedroom
• Garden with views of Paris and the Val-d'Oise, visited with an audio guide
• Portrait of Jean-Jacques Rousseau by Maurice-Quentin de La Tour
• Rousseau herbarium made for Mademoiselle Delessert
• Temporary exhibitions in the 19th-century extension
• Tea room in the garden on certain Sundays

Visitors per year

approx. 5,492

Admission & discounts

The ticket includes the guided visit of the house, the audio guide for the garden and the exhibition. Also free, with proof, for recipients of the RSA (French minimum income), adults accompanying school groups, journalists with a press card, national lecturers (conférenciers nationaux) and members of the Fédération nationale des maisons d'écrivain et des patrimoines littéraires, the Route des maisons d'écrivains or ICOM. Access to the tea room is only possible as part of a visit.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• 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 museum provides an accessibility register in PDF format; the presentation page does not describe the building's facilities.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Free admission for children under 19. Playful trails in the exhibitions, and workshops and tours for school classes and leisure centres.

Getting there & parking

From Enghien-les-Bains station, the walk to the museum takes about 30 minutes.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Tea room in the garden, open on certain Sundays from April to October, 14:00–17:30, only as part of the visit (pastries from a Montmorency baker). Shop selling the philosopher's main works.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit