The Maison Victor Hugo, in Paris, allows visitors to immerse themselves in the life and intimacy of the author of Les Miserables.
He wrote some of his major works there
Located on the prestigious Place de Vosges, in the heart of the Marais district, the house of Victor Hugo invites the visitor to enter into the intimacy of the famous French writer. He lived on the second floor of this mansion from 1832 to 1848, and wrote some of his major works there and a large part of Les Misérables. The tour of the apartment follows the three main stages of his life: before, during and after exile in Guernsey, through the presentation of his furniture, various souvenirs and his amazing interior decorations. The first floor is reserved for temporary exhibitions and presents his drawings as well as an iconography of his literary work.
The idol of the young generation
From 1832 to 1848, Victor Hugo, his wife Adèle Boucher and their four children rented an apartment on the second floor of the Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée. Hugo is thirty years old. He is the undisputed leader of romanticism, the idol of the young generation. He has already published, among other things, “Cromwell” (a drama in verse that is unplayable but which attracts the praise of trendy young people. More than 300 characters and I don’t know how many sets. A puzzle that directors still refuse today to assume) and “Notre Dame de Paris” (enormous literary triumph).
Banished from the marital bed
It is in the apartment of the Place des Vosges that Victor receives the whole of Paris; Vigny, Mérimée, Balzac, Nerval, Gautier and that rascal Sainte-Beuve. Adèle Hugo has already given birth to five children. This is too much. She quickly makes her husband understand that he can go elsewhere and closes the door of her room. Door that she leaves, moreover, open to her friend Sainte-Beuve. Moreover, Victor had had the bad idea of locking himself away for more than six months to finish “Notre Dame de Paris“. Banished from the marital bed, cuckolded and humiliated, Victor fell in love in 1933 with the voluptuous Juliette Drouet, a young actress. This is the start of his double life.
Lecture tours
The museum organizes lecture tours in Victor Hugo’s apartment and workshops for the youngest (information at the museum secretariat). A rich library is open to the public by appointment.
Practical information from the House of Victor Hugo
Opening hours of the House of Victor Hugo:
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed on Mondays, January 1, May 1 and December 25.
Rates of the House of Victor Hugo:
– Free access to the permanent collections.
– Access to temporary exhibitions between €6 and €8.
Maison Victor Vugo
Hotel de Rohan-Guéménée – 6 place des Vosges – 75004 Paris
https://www.maisonsvictorhugo.paris.fr/fr/visite-de-l appartement
