Things to do in Paris – Visit Place des Vosges and the Victor Hugo House
“Vous avez raison, monsieur, quand vous me dites que le livre les Misérables est écrit pour tous les peuples. Je ne sais s’il sera lu par tous, mais je l’ai écrit pour tous.”
“You are right, sir, when you tell me that Les Misérables is written for all nations. I do not know whether it will be read by all, but I wrote it for all.
~ Victor Hugo in a letter to M. Daelli, publisher, on ‘Les Misérables’, 18 October 1862
A beautiful and perfect square amidst one of the world’s largest and busiest cities, Place des Vosges is situated on part of a former medieval property known as Hôtel des Tournelles.
The square, said to be the first plannedsquare, was created as La Place Royale in the 1600s at the request of the first Bourbon king of France, Henry IV.
With its rows of arcaded promenades, early 17th century houses, shady linden trees, and plenty of benches, the park is a great spot for relaxing with the locals. There’s even a sandy play area for children.
Each of the houses or hôtels particuliers, originally the private residences of royal and noble families, have interesting histories and are of particular interest to visitors. The two main buildings, standing taller than the rest, are the aptly named Le Pavillon du Roi, intended for use by the King, and its mirror image named for the Queen, Le Pavillon de la Reine. The grand archway of the King’s Pavilion served as the main entrance to the square. The house at #21, is commonly referred to as Hôtel du Cardinal de Richelieu. Though it’s said that the Cardinal himself never lived here, it was briefly the residence of his brother-in-law Urbain de Maillé-Brézé, and later purchased by his great-nephew the Duke of Richelieu. It is also said that the Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Marguerite Louise d’Orléans, died here in 1721, yet other sources say she died in her residence at #15.
The most popular of the 28 houses is quite possibly #6. Known as Hôtel de Rohan Guéménée and sometimes referred to as Hôtel Arnauld this grand 17th century townhouse was built for Isaac Arnauld, councilor to the king and steward of finance.
Changing hands over the years, the townhouse became the residence of the influential Rohan family, descendents of the Dukes of Brittany, and later, the home of poet and novelist Victor Hugo, who lived here from 1832 to 1848 with his wife Adèle and their four children. Much of Victor’s fame comes from being the author of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ and ‘Les Miserables’, but he also achieved recognition as a political figure and activist. For a time, he was exiled from his home in France as a result of his public opposition to Louis Bonaparte. Now known as Maison du Victor Hugo, the house at 6, Place des Vosges has been a museum since 1902 and is open free to the public.
A tour of Victor Hugo’s house takes about an hour and tells of his life in three stages: Before Exile, Exile and After Exile. The various rooms in the home were recreated, some from different residences, and decorated with items donated to the City of Paris by Victor’s grandchildren Georges and Jeanne and close family friend Paul Meurice. The collection consists of books, manuscripts, furnishings, drawings, and other objects, including a bust of Victor by Auguste Rodin.
In the home you’ll see the Antechamber where portraits and drawings give a history of the Hugo family, the Red Room decorated with red damask wall coverings,and
the Chinese Room designed by Victor for the Guernsey home of his mistress, actress Juliette Drouet.
Then there’s the Medieval Dining Room, also based on Juliette’s Guernsey residence and furnished with pieces Vincent designed using ‘found items’.
The last room on the tour is Victor’s Bedroom, recreated using the memoirs of Georges Hugo. This room is a likeness of Victor’s bedroom in his residence at Avenue d’Eylau, now Avenue Victor Hugo in Paris, where he died.
Of particular interest here is the tall writing table, assembled from two separate wooden tables and based on Victor’s own design.
Victor Hugo, known to some as ‘The Father of the French Republic’, died on May 22, 1885 and is buried in the Panthéon in Paris.
Getting there:
Place des Vosges is located in the Marais District north of the River Seine, approximately 20-minutes walking from Notre Dame Cathedral, or by Métro to St-Paul, Chemin Vert or Bastille.
Ticket Info:
Adult Admission = FREE + additional fee for temporary exhibits. Note: Though admission for the permanent exhibit is free, a ticket is still required for entry. Tickets can be obtained at the reception desk/ticket counter at the entrance to the museum.
Vosges, Vosges … how could you not long to visit a place with such a pretty name? We made it here on our last trip to Paris (though I didn’t know this entire history, so thank you), and I’m happy to say that we also visited the Vosges Mountains, which were equally spectacular in a completely different way.
You’re welcome, Jenna, glad to help out with the history lesson 🙂 Vosges is a pretty name, isn’t it…
If/when we make it to the Vosges Mountains, we’ll be asking you guys for travel tips!! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
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Vosges, Vosges … how could you not long to visit a place with such a pretty name? We made it here on our last trip to Paris (though I didn’t know this entire history, so thank you), and I’m happy to say that we also visited the Vosges Mountains, which were equally spectacular in a completely different way.
You’re welcome, Jenna, glad to help out with the history lesson 🙂 Vosges is a pretty name, isn’t it…
If/when we make it to the Vosges Mountains, we’ll be asking you guys for travel tips!! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.