Palais de Justice

Rouen


The ornately Gothic Law Courts, little more than a shell at the end of WWII, have been restored to their early-16th-century glory. On rue Jeanne d'Arc, however, you can still see the very pock-marked façade, which shows the damage sustained during bombing raids in 1944. Around the corner on pedestrianised rue aux Juifs, you can peer in the spire- and gargoyle-adorned courtyard.

Hidden beneath the staircase at the courtyard’s eastern end is the Monument Juif.

The tourist office runs two-hour tours (€7) at 3pm every Tuesday and at 10.30am on the last Friday of every month.

Visitors curious about the French justice system can sit in on a court session – under French law, most proceedings are open to the public.