Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Verlaine Museum is the former Inn of the Lion d'Or, also known as the Prévot Café, located in Juniville (Ardennes). This place preserves the memory of the poet Paul Verlaine, who lived there from March 1880 to January 1882, writing major works such as Wisdom and Jadis and Naguère. The hostel, typical of Ardennes rural architecture with its torchi and wood walls, was a meeting place for villagers and travellers. Verlaine, seated opposite, went there daily to eat, drink and write in a small room reserved for her.

Verlaine's history in Juniville is marked by his relationship with Lucien Létinois, a former student who became close companion. After teaching at a Jesuit college in Rethel, Verlaine bought a farm in Juniville with his mother's money, but the farm, poorly managed, was sold in 1882. Lucien's premature death in 1883 plunged the poet into deep despair, inspiring part of his collection Love. The inn, spared during the destruction of Juniville in 1940, became a museum in 1994 thanks to the initiative of Marcelle Ponsinet, an admirer of the poet.

Transformed into a cultural space, the inn now houses temporary exhibitions, a bistro and a collection dedicated to Verlaine, including its complete works, archival documents and 19th-century objects. The place thus perpetuates the memory of the poet while celebrating the Ardennes rural heritage. Animations, such as Verlainiennes, are regularly organized, attracting visitors and passionate about literature.

The preservation of the museum was made possible by the commitment of individuals, such as Marcelle Ponsinet and her daughter Marie-Josée Martellière, as well as local authorities. After a temporary closure in 2007, the site reopened thanks to the support of the municipality of Juniville, the tourist office of the Rethélois Country and the association L-Auberge de Verlaine. Today, there remains a living place, mixing literary history and cultural dynamism.

The inn, ranked among the few buildings that survived World War II in the region, offers an authentic testimony of Verlaine's rural life and habits. Its period furniture, 1000 m2 garden and exhibitions make it a historical and cultural site, anchored in the Ardennes landscape. The museum thus illustrates the poet's attachment to this region, which he described as a source of soothing inspiration.

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