Maison Victor Hugo
In the south east corner of Place des Vosges, or Place Royale as it was called then, the King's counsellor and administrator of Finances, Isaac Arnauld, was granted a lot in June 1605. The house he built was in line with the prescribed layout for the area with a main building facing the square and two wings in angle overlooking the courtyard communicating with the Impasse Guéménée. Significant improvements were made by the de Rohans, who owned the property for almost 150 years - they also gave the building the name it is known by: Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée. In 1785, the owner of that time, Jacques Desmary, was allowed to add two balconies but none of them remains today.
It was in this building that Victor Hugo rented an apartment in 1832 - the lease was signed on 12th July and the family moved in October. The description read:
"a second-floor apartment overlooking the Place Royale, with a wing in a house situated
at no 6 Place Royale, Paris; the said apartment is composed on the street side of an antechamber, dining-room and drawing-room, with a kitchen overlooking the courtyard, several rooms in a wing reached by a corridor, with an exit via a small staircase,
conveniences, woodshed, three servant's rooms and a cellar"
The move meant a geographical dissociation from the Hugo family's social intercourse. Some of their friends even complained. But the Hugo salon soon became a meeting place for the créme de la créme; writers, artists, musicians, actors, politicians and high society. It surpassed Nodier's Arsenal and Adèle was a far better hostess than Mme Nodier. Among the regular visitors were Gautier - who for a period lived next-door with his parents, Musset, Balzac, de Vigny, de Nerval, Chateaubriand, Lamartine, Sainte-Beuve, Dumas, Mérimée, Nodier, the Devéria brothers, Boulanger, d'Angers and more. The Hugo salon also attracted visits by Liszt, Paganini, Rossini, Dickens and the Duke and Duchess of Orléans, among others. On Sunday evenings, the salon was crowded and smokers were sent to the square outside. Carl August Hagberg made a recollection of the Hugo soirées - see the February feature article.
Some visitors entered the household in a more discreet way; a small, secret staircase led a stream of young actresses and female literary fans directly to Hugo's study. Having commenced his life-long affair with Juliette Drouet, he conveniently installed her in a small flat on Rue de Paradis, closer to Place des Vosges.
The interior of the Hugo apartment was impressing but superficial - the aesthetic decorator Hugo had been accompanied by the practical Hugo who had learned furnishing on theatre sets. Read more about Hugo's decorating in The Interior Decorator.
During the turmoil in the summer of 1848, a gang of rioters broke into the Hugo home. Adèle was safe at a neighbour's and the housebreakers caused no harm and left without any loot. But the family decided to move to a more quiet area.
The Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée remained private property until 1873 when the Saint-Gilles family turned it over to the City of Paris. It was then accommodation for a primary school for the rest of the century.
On 21 June 1901, the nephew of Paul Meurice read out a letter from his uncle to the Paris city council. It suggested that the building at no 6 Place des Vosges should be turned into a museum, a Maison de Victor Hugo. The timing was perfect; the city of Paris was already planning to celebrate the centenary of the poet's birthday. On Sunday 2 March 1902, the Maison de Victor Hugo was consecrated. However, due to problems with moving the school, the occasion was limited to a consecration - a lot of work still had to be done before it could open to the public.
Paul Meurice's own collection of mementoes laid the foundation for the museum. Juliette Drouet's nephew, Louis Koch, added to it with lots of items from Guernsey and Jeanne and Georges, Hugo's grandchildren, recreated their grandfather's bedroom at Avenue d'Eylau. Paul Beuve contributed with a marvellous collection of commercial collectibles.
The museum was finally inaugurated on 30 June 1903. Since then, much has changed. Maison Victor Hugo today is an extensive research centre - including a library - and a continuous promoter of various cultural projects and activities relating to Victor Hugo. It's also important to stress that alteration to the building itself has been done since Hugo lived in it; the layout of the original apartment is not the same today.
A visit to the Maison Victor Hugo is of course a must when you visit Paris. I've visited every year since 1997, except in 2001 when it was closed due to renovations for the bicentennial celebrations. The staff is excellent and very courteous. The museum shop on the ground floor is a goldmine if you're looking for Hugo stuff and literature (yes, in English too!).
Visitor Information
MAISON VICTOR HUGO
6 place des Vosges
75 004 PARIS
Metro: Chemin-Vert, Saint-Paul or Bastille
Opening hours: 10 A.M. - 6 P.M. (last admission 5.40), all
days except Mondays and holidays.
Entrance-fee: free admittance to the permanent collections
For groups (bookings only) or access to other departments
than
the
permanent collection, please visit The official website of
Maison
Victor Hugo or e-mail enquiries to maisonsvictorhugo@mairie-paris.fr
