In the footsteps of Rimbaud

Genius, cursed, revolutionary, brat… All superlatives are good to qualify Arthur RimbaudIncluding the dazzling (he writes all his poems over a period of 8 years) has crossed generations and borders.

Born in Charleville in 1854 and buried in 1891 a few steps from the Ducal Square at the avenue Boutet cemetery, Arthur Rimbaud, poet with soles of wind, still haunts the Ardennes. It is that he traveled through them intensely before launching an assault on the world. 

To breathe, escape, be inspired, dream with his friend Delahaye in Charleville and elsewhere, to join Verlaine in the Belgian Ardennes, or to take refuge in the Roche family farm where he will write one of his masterpieces, A season in Hell. 

Jumbo Mana

New: “Hello Arthur”

Great technological innovation in Charleville-Mézières! You can now chat with the poet Arthur Rimbaud thanks to AI.

Its digital double is installed at the Maison des Ailleurs – 7 quai Rimbaud in Charleville-Mézières.

Information: 03 24 32 44 70

“Hello Arthur!”, chat with Rimbaud l’Africain – Maison des Ailleurs

In Charleville-Mézières, meet the poet. 

• The Rimbaud route, to live independently or on a guided tour, invites you to walk the streets he has taken and discover murals, works of street-art illustrating his poems. 
• The Rimbaud Museum houses real treasures: manuscripts, African trunk and works by the greatest artists inspired by Rimbaud (Fernand Léger, Picasso, Valentine Hugo, Cocteau, Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Patti Smith, etc.) 
• The House of Elsewhere : house where he lived as a teenager and where he wrote The sleeper of the valley, The drunken Boat… 
• The cemetery and its mailbox where he still receives mail from all over the world. 

A free audio guide to discover the street-art trail!

O-DGuide, the new free audio guide to discover the Rimbaud street art trail in Charleville-Mézières.

Easy to use and without installing an application, all you have to do is scan the QR Code with your smartphone and let yourself be guided. A map appears with different points corresponding to the frescoes. Choose one, it will appear with a text to read and/or listen to.

Good discovery !

And still elsewhere in the Ardennes

At Rock, take the discovery trail on the Pas de Rimbaud (completely renewed in 2022). 

Follow again Rimbaud-Verlaine road which will take you to key places in their individual and shared journeys, in Juniville, Bouillon, Paliseul… 

Pratical information

Also discover the other must-see culture and heritage

The fortified castle of Sedan, the largest in Europe

Majestic Place Ducale in Charleville-Mézières

Rocroi, the starry city