Flaubert Museum and Medical History Museum in Rouen - Free Entry Guide

The Flaubert Museum and Medical History Museum is a unique institution located in the birthplace of Gustave Flaubert, one of France's greatest writers. Born here on December 12, 1821, Flaubert grew up in this 18th-century pavilion of the former Hôtel-Dieu hospital, where his father served as chief surgeon. The museum offers 11 permanent exhibition rooms showcasing an extraordinary collection of medical artifacts from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century, including historic surgical instruments, an 18th-century obstetric mannequin, pharmaceutical equipment, and a remarkable 6-bed hospital bed. Visitors can also explore the Flaubert family memorabilia, including the natal room where the famous author was born and the medical library of 2,500 antique books. The beautiful 400m² medicinal plant garden, featuring approximately 100 labeled medicinal plants, is where young Gustave played as a child. Entry to the permanent collections is free, making this an accessible cultural treasure that uniquely combines literary heritage with medical history.

Interesting Facts

Gustave Flaubert, author of the literary masterpiece 'Madame Bovary', was born in this very building on December 12, 1821. Growing up surrounded by medical practice and hospital life profoundly influenced his realistic writing style - his clinical, almost surgical descriptions of human behavior and society can be directly traced to the environment of his childhood.

The museum houses an exceptionally rare 18th-century obstetric mannequin created by Madame Du Coudray in the 1770s. This remarkable teaching tool was used across France to train midwives during the Enlightenment and represents a pivotal moment in medical education history when maternal and infant mortality rates began to decline thanks to better-trained birth attendants.

One of the most unusual objects in the collection is a 6-bed hospital bed (lit d'hospitalisation à 6 places), an extraordinary piece that reveals how hospital wards operated in earlier centuries. This massive bed allowed multiple patients to share a single sleeping space, reflecting both the crowded conditions of historical hospitals and the communal approach to medical care before modern sanitation and privacy standards.

The monument to Gustave Flaubert in the museum's garden has a remarkable provenance - the committee that commissioned this white marble sculpture included literary giants Émile Zola and Guy de Maupassant (who served as secretary), with Edmond de Goncourt as chairman. Originally unveiled on the façade of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in 1890, it was moved to its current location in 1982.