Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The House of Victor Hugo is a monographic museum located in the former hotel of Rohan-Guémené, in 6 place des Vosges (4th arrondissement of Paris). This place preserves the 280 m2 apartment that Victor Hugo rented on the second floor between 1832 and 1848, during which time he wrote major works like Les Misérables or Ruy Blas. The hotel, built in the 17th century, was rebuilt before sheltering the writer, his family and his circle of friends, including Lamartine, Balzac and Dumas. The drama of Villequier (1843) and the marriage of his daughter Léopoldine also marked his stay.

During these sixteen years Hugo experienced a political upsurge: election to the French Academy, appointment as Pair of France, and then as a member of parliament for Paris. After 1848, the apartment underwent transformations (disappearance of the corridors, of the balcony), and the property of the family was dispersed in 1852. The hotel briefly welcomed the Jauffret Institution (1860) before being partially transferred to the City of Paris in 1873.

The museum was created in 1902 thanks to the gift of Paul Meurice, executor of Hugo's will, who offered manuscripts, drawings, photographs and furniture for the centenary of the author's birth. Inaugurated in 1903, it was closed in 2019-2020 for renovation work, including an educational workshop and a tea room. Today, he proposes a chronological journey in seven rooms, evoking Hugo's youth, his exile to Guernsey (1852-1870), and his last years avenue d'Eylau.

The first floor houses temporary exhibitions and a rotation of Hugo's 600 drawings (of the 3,000 he made), as well as a library of 11,000 books dedicated to his life and work. The Chinese salon, decorated with furniture from Juliette Drouet's house in Guernsey, illustrates his exile, while the labor office is rebuilding his last Parisian home. The museum, free for permanent collections, has been managed by Paris Museums since 2013.

The Rohan-Guémené hotel, classified as a Historical Monument, is an example of 17th-century architecture. Its recently vegetated inner courtyard and thematic rooms (antechamber, red living room, mortuary room) offer a journey in the privacy of the writer. The collections, enriched by gifts from admirers, include original editions, portraits (such as that by Léon Bonnat) and family memories.

The museum highlights the three phases of Hugo's life: before exile (1832-1848), during exile (1852-1870), and after his return to Paris. The temporary exhibitions and the print office, accessible by appointment, complete this immersion. Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (except Mondays and public holidays), the famous place both man, artist and activist, in a preserved historical setting.

Collection

La visite du musée permet de découvrir l'appartement occupé par la famille Hugo au deuxième étage, et plusieurs salles d'exposition au premier étage. L'appartement se présente sous forme de sept pièces en enfilade, qui évoquent chronologiquement le parcours de l'écrivain : avant l'exil, pendant l'exil, depuis l'exil...

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