Maison de Victor Hugo (Victor Hugo House Museum), Paris

The House of Victor Hugo, a monographic museum at Vosges Square No. 6, is where the famous French author resided from 1832 to 1848. Hugo moved into a spacious 280-square-meter apartment on the building’s second floor together with his family and enjoyed here a vibrant social life. His residence became a gathering place for prominent literary figures like Alexandre Dumas, Honoré de Balzac, and Prosper Mérimée. Here, Hugo experienced both personal joy, like his daughter Léopoldine’s marriage, and sorrow, notably her tragic death in 1843. During these 16 years, the writer composed significant works such as Les Misérables, The Burgraves, and The Twilight Songs.

After Hugo’s departure in 1848, the apartment underwent structural changes, though it retained its original layout. In 1902, on Hugo’s centenary, a close friend of the writer and executor of his will donated items to establish the museum, which opened in 1903. The museum’s collection includes Hugo’s drawings, manuscripts, photographs, and various personal artifacts.

Recently renovated, the museum features new amenities like an educational workshop and a tea room overlooking a courtyard garden. Visitors can explore the Hugo family apartment, arranged in seven rooms that trace his life “before, during, and after exile.” Highlights include the red living room, which captures his early career with paintings and memorabilia, the Chinese-decorated drawing room, the Medieval-style dining room, and his study, with original furnishings from his later years. The final room recreates Hugo’s death chamber in 1885.

Upon the announcement of Hugo’s death, aged 83, over two million people took to the streets to bid farewell to the writer at his funeral procession stretching from the Arch of Triumph to his final resting place at The Pantheon. That procession is depicted in one of the paintings displayed at the museum.

The museum’s first floor holds a permanent exhibition of Hugo's drawings plus the iconography of his literary works. At times, there are also temporary exhibitions and displays a rotating selection of Hugo’s drawings. A library with over 11,000 works on Hugo is open to researchers by appointment.

The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Mondays and holidays, and is free to enter. For visitor's convenience, there is an audio guide in English which helps put into context all that is there to see.