Musée Louis Braille
The Musée Louis Braille is the birthplace of the inventor of the Braille writing system in Coupvray, a small village in Seine-et-Marne. Built in stone with three floors, the house preserves original furnishings and displays the rooms where the family lived, including the father's workshop and the Garden of the Five Senses adjacent to the building.
Louis Braille was born in this house over 200 years ago and later developed his writing system after losing his sight. The house was purchased by the Friends of Louis Braille organization in 1952 and opened as a museum in 1956 to preserve his memory and legacy.
The birthplace shows how a craftsman's family lived in the 1800s, with the father's harness-making trade at the center of daily work. The rooms give a sense of the simple family world from which Louis Braille emerged and where he developed his skills.
The entrance is located on Rue Louis Braille at the lower end of the village, where the Garden of the Five Senses is accessible to all visitors, including those without sight. Guided tours start at regular intervals throughout the day, and entry is free for children under 8 years old; a visit typically takes about an hour and can be combined with a walk through the surrounding area.
Visitors can try writing in Braille themselves using a tablet and stylus to press dots into the surface. This hands-on experience reveals how precise and demanding tactile writing is, a skill that millions of people rely on worldwide.
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