La Maison de Robespierre - Atlas Obscura

AO Edited

La Maison de Robespierre

One of the most notorious leaders of the French Revolution once lived here. 

5
10
This entry is a stub
Help improve Atlas Obscura by expanding La Maison de Robespierre with additional information or photos.

A prominent figure of the French Revolution, Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre was born in Arras on May 6, 1758, into a small family of the judicial nobility. Orphaned at an early age, he then studied at the Oratorian college in the capital of Artois and later at the Lycée Louis-Le-Grand in Paris.

Deeply influenced by the ideas of Rousseau, he returned to Arras in 1781 where he lived until 1789 while practicing as a lawyer. Despite the Revolution’s allegedly high-minded ideals, Robespierre and his co-conspirators are best-remembered for the horrendous bloodshed that occurred afterwords. La Terreur, of the Reign of Terror, saw the mass executions of thousands of French citizens accused of being counter-revolutionaries.

Today, the controversial figure’s home in Arras still stands. The small museum inside contains relatively little information about the darker exploits of its former inhabitant, but is still worth a visit if in the area.

Know Before You Go

The site is free to visit. 

Community Contributors
Added by

May 29, 2024

Make an Edit Add Photos
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web