In April 1756, Jean-Jacques Rousseau fled Paris, “a city of noise, smoke and mud”, and settled in Montmorency, at the place called “Hermitage”. In December 1757, the Citizen of Geneva moved to Petit Mont-Louis, now the Jean-Jacques Rousseau Museum.
There he composed his major works: Julie or Nouvelle Héloïse, La Lettre à d'Alembert sur les spectacles, Du Contrat Social, Emile or Education.
The condemnation of the Emile caused the philosopher to flee on 9 June 1762.
The Museum consists of the small Mont-Louis, house of the philosopher, the garden including the cabinet of greenery and the «Keep».
An extension of the house made in the 19th century allows to organize temporary exhibitions and cultural events.
Around the Maison du Mont-Louis, which is the museum’s first collection and in which the philosopher lived from 1757 to 1762, there are now a variety of collections containing some 12,000 pieces.
It contains documents related to Rousseau as well as the history of Montmorency and its v

Maison des illustres, Monument historique, Musée de France & Public garden

Access by public transport: Gare du Nord, trains to Valmondois or Pontoise. Stop at Enghien-les-Bains. Bus 15, stop Mairie de Montmorency. Or bus 13, stop Rey-de-foresta. Access by car from Paris: By the A1 motorway. Take the exit n°3 towards Saint-Denis, then follow the RN1\. Exit via the D125, direction Montmorency. By the A15 motorway then the D170 (boulevard intercommunal) direction Montmorency then D109 and the D928 direction Montmorency. Parking nearby: rue Vacher, place Roger-Levanneur, rue du Marché.