Flaubert Museum and the History of Medicine Museum, Rouen

The Flaubert Museum and the History of Medicine Museum in Rouen is located in the Hôtel-Dieu pavilion, the birthplace of Gustave Flaubert, on December 12, 1821. This museum combines the legacy of Flaubert’s family with a comprehensive look at the history of medicine from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. It holds the Musée de France and Maisons des Illustres labels, emphasizing its cultural significance.

The building itself, the former Hôtel-Dieu, has been a listed historic monument since 1932. The museum features 11 rooms of permanent collections, including a cabinet of curiosities, an apothecary, and a 1910 dental office. Notable exhibits include a unique 18th-century childbirth mannequin by Angélique du Coudray, a hospital bed designed for six people, military surgical kits, and two hundred medical ceramics. Among the more unusual items are mummified heads of agitators hanged in 1789, displayed alongside wrought iron grilles from 1775.

On the first floor, visitors can explore the room where Flaubert was born, as well as the surgeon's room and a former sick room connected to the apartment. Since 1982, the museum garden has housed a monument to Gustave Flaubert, a high relief by Henri-Michel-Antoine Chapu, originally placed on the Rouen Museum of Fine Arts' façade in 1890.

The museum is known for its reconstructions, charm, and educational value, offering dramatized visits, workshops, and access to the medicinal plant garden, where QR codes provide detailed information created by Rouen's pharmacy students. Access to the permanent collections is free, making it a notable spot for those interested in the intersection of literature and medical history.