The Musée Arthur Rimbaud preserves more than 2,000 works in its collection, as well as handwritten manuscripts such as “Voyelles” and “A la musique”.
Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Charleville-Mézières can include this in their travel plans.
Culture and history
The Maison des Ailleurs has been designated a “Maison des Illustres” and presents temporary exhibitions throughout the year on Rimbaud’s work or contemporary poets.
The Musée de l’Ardenne displays the mechanism of the Grand Marionnettiste, the giant automaton on Place Winston Churchill. Its extensive collection presents the history of the Ardennes as a land of legends, iron and forests across more than 3,400 square metres. The museum also has a free-access gallery for temporary exhibitions by local and international artists.
The Parcours Rimbaud, which has been taking shape in Charleville-Mézières since 2015, invites visitors to explore the city on foot and discover frescoes depicting Rimbaud’s best-known works.
Water and paths
The Île du Vieux Moulin is freely accessible via a small bridge and is connected to Mont Olympe by a footbridge. It offers a walk to a viewpoint overlooking the Meuse and the water sports centre.
Mont Olympe is a 14-hectare wooded recreational area on the banks of the Meuse, with a water sports centre, an aquatics centre, playgrounds, a marina and a municipal three-star campsite.
The Greenway connects Mont Olympe with EuroVelo 19 and the railway station. For longer distances, the Voie Verte Trans-Ardennes offers a 130-kilometre cycle route between Mouzon and Givet via Charleville-Mézières.
Architecture
Place Ducale was designed by Clément Métezeau. Its 24 pavilions are made of ochre-coloured stone from Dom-le-Mesnil and topped with bluish slate roofs. Place Ducale is a pedestrian zone and offers numerous café and restaurant terraces.
The Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes takes place in Charleville-Mézières every two years.
More local pages: Olizy-Primat, Givet, Hagnicourt, Houdilcourt, Francheville, Signy-Le-Petit, Semuy, Aiglemont
