Maison de Balzac, History museum in 16th arrondissement, France
The Maison de Balzac is a writer's house museum in the Passy district of Paris's 16th arrondissement, housed in a modest pavilion at 47 rue Raynouard. Balzac rented the five-room top-floor apartment, arranged over three levels, from 1840 to 1847; it opens onto a garden. The building has two entrances, one on rue Raynouard and one on rue Berton.
Balzac rented the top-floor apartment in October 1840 under the alias "Monsieur de Breugnol", with the lease in his housekeeper Louise Breugnol's name to evade creditors. He lived there until 1847, writing La Rabouilleuse, Une ténébreuse affaire and La Cousine Bette and shaping the plan of La Comédie humaine. The house, with two entrances on rue Raynouard and rue Berton, is the only one of his many Paris residences that survives.
Balzac rented the top-floor flat in 1840 under the alias "Monsieur de Breugnol", with the lease in his housekeeper Louise Breugnol's name to evade creditors. The house has two entrances, on rue Raynouard and rue Berton, which let him slip away from debt collectors. Since 2021 a Balzac Prize, chaired by writer Pierre Assouline, rewards contemporary fiction bearing his imprint.
The site sits on a quiet street in an older neighborhood and is easily walkable. Visitors should know that stairs are narrow and the house spans multiple levels, which is helpful to understand when exploring.
The museum preserves unusual personal items, including a turquoise-studded walking cane from 1834 and an early photographic portrait of the author. These objects reveal both the artistic and personal sides of a leading 19th-century writer.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,454 contributors worldwide.
