Maison de Rousseau & de la Littérature (MRL)
Welcome to Jean-Jacque Rousseau’s birthplace! Situated in Geneva’s scenic Old Town, this historic house is now home to the Maison de Rousseau & de la Littérature (MRL)—a museum and library entirely dedicated to the humanist author’s works and significant legacy. The exhibition retraces the steps and thought process of the impactful Enlightenment philosopher through a 25-minute interactive sound and image display that aims to bring Rousseau’s magnetic character to life. Modern-day authors and thinkers are always welcome to the MRL’s numerous talks and sessions.
As the MRL is located in the heart of Geneva’s most historic quarter, many city tours will at the very least whizz past it, including sightseeing tours and Segway tours.
Practical Info
Maison de Rousseau et de la Littérature is located on Grand-Rue in Old Geneva and is very well connected: it is possible to get there by car (as the house is on a pedestrian street it is not possible to park directly on-site; parking Saint-Antoine is close by on Boulevard Emile-Jaques-Dalcroze and costs 1.- CHF for every 20 minutes), by public transit (trams 12, 14, and 18 at Place de Neuve stop) as well as on foot from most of Geneva’s main attractions. The museum is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11 AM to 5:30 PM.
Trip ideas
- Things to do in Lake Geneva
- Things to do in Annecy
- Things to do in Montreux
- Things to do in Lyon
- Things to do in Dijon
- Things to do in Turin
- Things to do in Basel
- Things to do in Lucerne
- Things to do in Ferno
- Things to do in Langhe-Roero and Monferrato
- Things to do in Zurich
- Things to do in Lake Como
- Things to do in Milan
- Things to do in Rhône-Alpes
- Things to do in Burgundy
- Tavel House (Maison Tavel)
- Geneva Old Town (Vieille Ville)
- Barbier-Mueller Museum (Musée Barbier-Mueller)
- International Museum of the Reformation (Musée International de la Réforme)
- St. Peter's Cathedral (Cathédrale St-Pierre)
- Bastions Park (Parc des Bastions)
- Geneva Museum of Art and History (Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Genève)
- Baur Foundation, Museum of Far Eastern Art
- Rath Museum (Musée Rath)
- Flower Clock (Horloge Fleurie)
- English Garden (Jardin Anglais)
- Rousseau Island (Ile Rousseau)
- Patek Philippe Museum
- Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMCO)
- Geneva Contemporary Art Centre (Centre d'Art Contemporain Genève)