Maison de Jean de la Fontaine, birthplace of Jean de la Fontaine

The maison de Jean de La Fontaine is a 16th-century stone house in Château-Thierry, now a museum on the writer's life and fables. Its facade has a round-arched doorway framed by rusticated stone, topped by a triangular pediment with a blank rectangular panel; a wooden double door stands open within the arch. Behind rises a square tower with a steep pyramidal roof and two small rectangular windows, and a lower wing on the right has a shuttered window and a smaller arched opening.

The house dates from the 16th century, and Jean de La Fontaine was born in it on 8 July 1621. He spent his early years here before leaving for Paris and later settling in Château-Thierry as a master of waters and forests. The town acquired the building and opened it as a museum in 1876, the 250th anniversary of his birth.

The street and the building itself bear the writer's name, reflecting his importance to the town. His fables appear throughout the space in illustrations and objects that show how deeply his stories are woven into French culture.

The museum occupies the house where La Fontaine was born; its rooms are spread over several floors reached by stairs, and the medieval cellars can be visited. The entrance is on the street side, and the courtyard and garden lie behind the building. Allow time to read the exhibits before or after a walk through the old town of Château-Thierry.

The building was classified as a monument historique in 1913, and its courtyard facade still shows the rusticated arch and triangular pediment seen from the street. Jean de La Fontaine's father, Charles, served as master of waters and forests for the duchy of Château-Thierry, a post the poet later inherited.