Follow in the footsteps of cursed poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine criss-crossing the Ardennes roads. Their story took place in the Ardennes even if they were never there at the same time.
Between poetry and chaotic history, the lovers that everything opposes have left their mark from Rethel to Charleville-Mézières. By browsing these landscapes over their inspirations, you will never see the Ardennes in the same way again.
Rimbaud-Verlaine Road: Rethel
Paul Verlaine lived for several years in the Rethélois country, where he was a professor at the Notre-Dame de Rethel institute. Although he had found inner peace in this peaceful setting, he was fired because of his alcoholism.
With the urban escape game “O thieves!”, you can find out more about the character of Paul Verlaine and the town of Rethel. Don't hesitate to investigate.
Rimbaud-Verlaine Road: Juniville
Juniville welcomes the poet where he becomes the tutor of the young Lucien Létinois whom he considers his son. Verlaine moved to the “Le Lion d’or” inn, now the Verlaine museum, where he finished writing Wisdom and start Once upon a time.
Do not hesitate to discover the interpretive trail with a booklet-games from the museum dedicated to it.
Rimbaud-Verlaine road: Vouziers
Verlaine's footsteps lead you to Vouziers, the town where he was arrested after threatening his mother. He was sentenced to two months in prison and you can see the court that tried him from the outside.
Give yourself a break in this small town to continue to discover the chaotic story of the two poets by following Rimbaud in the next stage.
Rimbaud-Verlaine road: Roche
In Roche, his mother's village, Rimbaud often returns to the family farm after the tragedy with Verlaine. It was in the attic of this farm that he finished writingA season in Hell.
The family farm no longer exists. A terraced house named ''Rimbaud'', now belongs to the American singer Patti Smith, a big fan of Rimbaud, since 2017.
Follow the pedestrian circuit dedicated to Rimbaud to find out more about his life, the relations with his relatives and find the atmosphere of the Voncq station from where he left for his wanderings.
Don't hesitate to stop for a country break at Mery Farm, the local restaurant or to taste the pleasure of canoeing on the Aisne.
Rimbaud-Verlaine road: Charleville-Mézières
This poetic pilgrimage ends in Charleville-Mézières, birthplace of the poet Arthur Rimbaud. It was in this city that he spent his adolescence and where he wrote his first poems at the age of 15, including The drunken Boat et The sleeper of the valley.
The city pays homage to Rimbaud through its Rimbaud museum and Maison des Ailleurs, as well as in the streets of the city, along a course dedicated but also with surprising poetic frescoes. At the cemetery where the poet is buried, a mailbox collects messages from fans.